


Märchen

by teaseofnight



Category: DBSK | Tohoshinki | TVfXQ | TVXQ, So Nyuh Shi Dae | Girls' Generation, Super Junior
Genre: Alternate Universe - Fairy Tale, Alternate Universe - Fantasy, F/M, M/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2013-12-22
Updated: 2014-07-02
Packaged: 2018-01-05 11:57:14
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 10
Words: 28,857
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1093617
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/teaseofnight/pseuds/teaseofnight
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Kyuhyun didn't belive in fairy tales. Donghae did. So what happens when these two meet?</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

                Fairy tales weren’t real.

                They were stories, dreams dreamt of by young children who long for a different reality. They were tales of old, passed along generations to make a world seem like a better place, to tell lessons to children.

                But no one in reality was a princess or a prince; a wizard or a witch; a queen or a king.

                There were no happy endings, no great challenges for a prince to rescue a damsel in distress or for a princess to do the saving instead. No one was kind enough to see through the hearts of the wicked or brave enough to face the world to be with the person they love.

                Fairy tales – they aren’t real.

                But a certain Cho Kyuhyun didn’t believe that.

                As a child, Kyuhyun was told stories by his mother, a kind woman who was often abused in the hours of work. He was often engrossed in those stories, never healthy enough to be able to leave the house and brave the world himself. They gave him imagination, a creation that made him wonder just how the world really was. Whenever he excitedly related the stories to his father and brother, they would both just smile at him, clearly amused by his stories.

                However, that began to change when their family experienced something strange.

                The moment Kyuhyun turned eight, he was given the opportunity to step outside of the house with his brother, to run errands for their father who was tending to their ill mother. He was given the chance to explore the world, so different from the fairy tales his mother used to tell him. More than once, he was disconcerted by the violent display around him, though the feeling was often washed away when he viewed children being cared for by their mothers, their innocence enlightening.

                But it was only when he was standing near the door for his brother to finish did he meet him.

                A young boy with a bright, infectious smile that brought a smile onto Kyuhyun’s face.

                He was older than Kyuhyun, but he acted as if he was younger, often trying his best to get the boy to play with him. So they played in the store, careful not to bother any of the customers, giggling when jokes were shared. Between them, they made up their own fairy tale; it was full of magic, of adventure, and of romance. They were the prince and the knight; the damsel and the savior. Neither of them cared who was who, and the shopping mall was their kingdom.

                But like everything, it had to end.

                Kyuhyun protested when his brother was finished and had to take him home, reluctantly saying goodbye to his friend. He remembered the boy’s face as he left, haunted by the memory of it forever.

                It was the only memory that helped Kyuhyun struggle through the rest of the hardships in his life as his mother finally passed away, unable to handle the illness any longer. His father, stricken with grief, immersed himself in his work and distanced himself from his children. His brother, though he did his best to care for Kyuhyun, was often cold towards his younger brother and scolded him.

                As for Kyuhyun, his imagination of the fairy tale world began to dwindle until nothing remained. He clung to the old stories his mother told, but never spoke of them again after his father lashed out at him. He grew quiet, distant. In order to separate himself from the reality, he took to studying and reading, learning what he can about the world. No longer did he allow himself to become the child he was once; he now had a responsibility to ensure his family carried on, even though his father and brother were nothing but ghosts to him.

                Time didn’t heal their wounds; it only worsened them.

                In order to get away from the painful memory, Kyuhyun’s father relocated them into the bustling city of Seoul, sending both of his sons to school immediately. His brother easily lost himself into a group of friends upon his arrival at his new school whilst Kyuhyun struggled to accept his new surroundings. The people scared him; the kids mocked him. He never did manage to fit in, often being on his own to escape the harsh reality.

                He grew up with a painful and quiet childhood, no longer seeing his father and brother at home. Eventually, when he turned thirteen, he learned that his father moved on; he was dating a younger woman – his secretary – and the two got married a year later. Though Kyuhyun liked the woman, she wasn’t his mother, so he was often rude. She didn’t take offense, merely claiming that he still hasn’t moved on. As for his brother, the older boy had completely immersed himself with his friends, often going out with them and then sometimes returning with a girl latched onto his arm.

                The sight disgusted Kyuhyun.

                When he finally turned of age, he moved out the first chance he got. He didn’t bother informing his remaining family where he was going to move to – he didn’t see the point. As far as he was concerned, they were ghosts now. His father too busy with his new wife, his brother too busy with his friends. Kyuhyun had no one left, so he moved. And he brought along his mother’s old stories with him.

                Fairy tales didn’t exist.

                They weren’t real. And Kyuhyun was a fool to think they were.


	2. Chapter 2

                The rays of sunlight peeking out from behind the dark curtains caused Kyuhyun to groan, already turning away and burying himself deep into his covers. The frost from the chilled air outside snuck in and crept under the blankets, causing him to shudder and curl up into fetal position with the intention of making himself warm. When that didn’t happen, he reluctantly decided to wake up, prying his eyes open. Blurred colors of white and black greeted him, and he blinked a few times until his vision showed clarity.

                Hearing his phone vibrate on the bedside table, Kyuhyun shuffled a bit and reached over to pick up the device. Upon seeing the name on the screen, he held back a groan. Forcibly sitting up, he answered the call and put it on speaker. “What?”

                _“About time you picked up! Do you know how long I’ve tried to call you?”_

“About a hundred times?” Kyuhyun guessed half-heartedly, glaring at the rays of light peeking out.

                A groan was heard. _“Get up off your ass, Kyuhyun. You have a meeting with the editor later, remember? Time to get up and shower!”_

“It’s not my fault you didn’t wake me up when you left,” he argued lightly despite already slipping out of bed and trudging to the connecting bathroom, phone in hand.

                _“I did try to wake you up! You just refused to!”_ The male on the other end protested, sounding irritated already. _“What’s the point of giving me a copy of your key to your apartment to wake you up if you fucking refuse to?”_

Kyuhyun snorted, placing the device on the sink counter while reaching into the shower stall, turning the knob to a reasonable temperature. He began to undress, throwing his clothes into the laundry hamper off to the side and massaged the nape of his neck.

                “Then next time, just roll me off the bed.”

                His friend scowled. _“I’ll remember that for next time. Just get ready. I don’t want to call your editor and explain why you’re late. Again.”_

“Oh, please. It’s not like Sooyoung even cares.”

                _“Maybe not her, but her boss does. And you know how the guy can get.”_

Kyuhyun’s face darkened, but he murmured his agreement and bid his friend goodbye before ending the call. Stepping into the stall, he hummed out as the hot water touched his skin, basking in the warmth of it.

                A few minutes later, he exited from the bathroom, already dressed in prim and proper clothes with a scarf thrown around his neck. If there was one thing he hated about the weather in Seoul, it was how freezing it could get during the winter, making it even more unbearable for Kyuhyun, who adored the warmth of summer more than anyone. After ensuring he had all of his belongings on him, he stepped outside of his apartment, locking the door immediately and tugged his coat closer around him.

                Hurrying to the café where he was supposed to meet his editor, Kyuhyun let out a yelp when he nearly slipped on a patch of ice, startled when a firm hand gripped his elbow to prevent the fall. Kyuhyun looked up, taken aback by a pair of dark brown eyes gazing down at him, a look of wonder in those orbs. For a moment, he was briefly reminded of the boy he used to play with back when he was a child, but quickly dismissed the memory.

                “Uh, thank you,” Kyuhyun began hesitantly. “But if you can…?”

                “Huh? Oh, right, sorry about that,” the man apologized, releasing Kyuhyun once he was sure the other had regained his balance. “Are you in a hurry somewhere?”

                He nodded. “Yes, I have a meeting to get to. Actually, I have to run now before I’m late, so bye and thank you!”

                Without giving the man a chance to reply, Kyuhyun made a run for it, cursing in his mind about how he should’ve been more attentive to his surroundings. It took him roughly another ten minutes before he reached the café, breathing a sigh of relief upon realizing that his editor hadn’t made it yet. Slipping inside, he nodded to the owner behind the counter, who gave him a knowing look.

                “Is he here?” Kyuhyun asked, sounding as if he was dreading the answer.

                The owner raised an eyebrow. “What do you think?”

                “Of course I’m here!” Screaming in shock, Kyuhyun spun around to see Sungmin standing behind him, the older man’s blond hair tousled and in disarray. “What the hell, Kyuhyun? You were almost late!”

                “But I wasn’t, so that has to count for something.”

                Sungmin scoffed, gripping his elbow and dragging him over to a table in the corner. Forcing him to sit down, he gave Kyuhyun a stern look. “Yeah, after I had to call you and remind you about the meeting.”

                “You know how much I hate the cold, Ming,” the younger pitifully whined, pouting at him.

                His friend gave him an unimpressed look, but quickly switched demeanors when his boss told him to take care of a customer. After sternly warning Kyuhyun to stay put, he set off.

                Slumping in his seat and mumbling how he didn’t even get the chance to order coffee, Kyuhyun looked over at the counter, almost falling out of his chair in surprise upon seeing the man who saved him earlier in the store. He watched, fixated in the way Sungmin talked casually to the stranger, almost as if they were friends. However, Kyuhyun soon found himself staring at the man when a faint smile graced his lips.

                He kept his eyes on the man, trying to figure out why he seemed to remind him of his old childhood friend, but then shifted his attention when he heard the chimes attached to the door ring. When he saw that it was his editor, Kyuhyun held back a groan and turned around, only half-heartedly listening to Sungmin talking to his customer. There was something about the way the customer spoke that caused a pleasant tingle down his spine, but he ignored it in favor of giving his attention to his editor as she sat across from him.

                “You actually made it on time,” Sooyoung teased, giving him a playful smirk. “And here I thought you were going to be late again.”

                Blinking his eyes at her innocently, Kyuhyun smiled. “Me? Late? Perish the thought.”

                Sooyoung rolled her eyes and took out a manila folder from her bag, sliding it across the table over to him. “Yes, well, we got more important things to talk about.”

                “Already straight to the subject, huh?” the older mumbled, reluctantly picking up the folder. He flipped through its contents, already grimacing upon seeing the many errors highlighted in red ink for him to correct. “How was it this bad?”

                His editor sighed. “I don’t know, but as I went through it, I’ve noticed something.”

                “What was it?”

                “Even though you write such magical stories, Kyuhyun-oppa, this one lacks a certain feel to it.” Upon seeing the confused expression masking her client’s face, she sighed. “You don’t believe in what you wrote.”

                Kyuhyun raised an eyebrow. “Not a lot of writers believe in what they write in, Sooyoung. This is all fantasy; not reality. What is the point of believing in such a thing?”

                “It’s not the fantasy, Oppa. It’s the love.”

                “What?”

                Sooyoung’s shoulders deflated as she stared at Kyuhyun in a way that made his fingers curl around the folder tightly. He didn’t like the look as he knew what she was about to say next.

                “You don’t believe in the love you’re trying to write because you have no love now.”

                Kyuhyun tried his best not to slam the folder down onto the table, not wanting to attract attention from the other patrons. He could feel Sungmin’s stare on him, however, and another pair of eyes on him, as well. Another tingle went down his spine, but he shoved it away, not wanting to think about it. “You know how much I don’t believe in it, I told you that since the moment I told you I was going to write this book.”

                “Yes, but I thought that you had at least an inkling of love in your body,” Sooyoung reasoned, not at all deterred by his attitude. “But if you attempt to write another love scene, try to understand how the characters are feeling. You can’t just suddenly make them fall in love with each other; it’s not like a fairy tale.”

                The older held back a groan. “It’s a story – a fantasy. Who cares about that?”

                “A lot of people do, actually. That’s why their stories seem believable even if it does take place in a fantasy-like world. Even certain fairy tales are like that.”

                Leaning back against his chair, Kyuhyun raised an eyebrow. “So what? You want me to try to believe in love?”

                “I’m saying that I want you to try to understand it,” Sooyoung corrected. “I know you don’t love, Oppa, and I understand that even if I don’t get it. But if you want this scene to be written in a way that stands out to the readers, then I suggest that you learn how to love.”

                Kyuhyun glared at her, though no retort left his mouth. He knew she spoke the truth. He just didn’t want to admit it.

                “I suggest you take a break and start researching romance,” Sooyoung told him, finally getting up from her seat. “Otherwise, if you try to sell this book, it won’t be worth buying at all.”

                Saying nothing, Kyuhyun just watched her walk away before groaning, slumping down against the table. When he heard a sound, he looked up and was surprised to still see the guy from earlier staring at him. He stared at him, unsure of what he was supposed to think with a guy staring at him so intently. Though he often got stared at a lot, it still didn’t make the feeling any better.

                “Can I help you?” Kyuhyun demanded after having enough.

                The man smiled and shook his head, turning away just as Sungmin called his attention. After sharing a few more words with him, the man finally left the store.

                “Don’t like him?” Sungmin asked as he took Sooyoung’s chair.

                Kyuhyun scowled. “Who the hell is he?”

                “He’s a friend of mine,” the older said simply, placing a cup of coffee in front of Kyuhyun. “Nice guy. So what did you and Sooyoung talk about?”

                Scowling at the reminder of how his meeting with his editor went, the younger decided to simply relate everything to Sungmin, who listened intently. The older man’s expression didn’t change at all as Kyuhyun continued to tell him everything. When he finally finished, Sungmin tilted his head to the side, making a humming sound.

                “So that’s what’s gotten you so annoyed. And here I thought it was because she made fun of you again.”

                Kyuhyun glared. “This isn’t funny, Ming. How am I supposed to write a love scene if I don’t even believe in it?”

                “…Believe in it.”

                “Gee, thanks. You know I don’t believe in it.”

                Sungmin sighed, shaking his head. “Whatever. Anyway, if you’re really having trouble trying to believe in love, then maybe it’d be a good idea if you meet someone who can teach you about it.”

                “Yeah, like who?”

                “My friend.” Then Sungmin grinned as if a plan sparked up in his mind. “Actually, I think the two of you would get along swimmingly.”

                Kyuhyun stared at him. “That is the most stupid plan I’ve ever heard.”

                “You got a better idea?”

                The younger was silent, mulling over his choices. Finally, he groaned, giving a nod. Ignoring the pleased smile on his friend’s face, Kyuhyun sat there, scowling to himself whilst Sungmin took out a notepad from his apron and began to scribble down a number. The younger man could only wait, writing an eyebrow as he watched his friend scribble something even more at the bottom. “What else are you writing?”

                “A few notes so that you don’t accidentally end up being on the wrong foot with him,” Sungmin explained simply. “He can be rather sensitive and seeing as how you’re rather blunt, I don’t want him to call me and complain about you being rude to him.”

                Kyuhyun frowned. “If he’s going to complain, then I don’t want to work with him.”

                “All you have to do is be nice to him,” his friend chastised. He ripped the piece of paper out of the notepad and handed it over to him. “Anyway, whenever you start having trouble on this love expedition of yours, just call him. He’ll help.”

                “And how do you know if he’ll even help me?”

                Sungmin smiled. “Because I know him. If it’s you, then he’ll want to help you out in any way he can.”

\---

                _“If it’s you, then he’ll want to help you out in any way he can.”_

“What the hell does Sungmin mean by that?” Kyuhyun mumbled as he made his way back home. It was close to dinner already, and he had spent the majority of his day trying to understand what love meant. The expedition of love had failed miserably with Kyuhyun ending up scaring a few kids away, being called the ‘Grinch’ in the process. Though the name was new to him, a quick research on Google had kept him informed – and Kyuhyun was not pleased by what he read.

                Groaning, he shook his head, trying to dispel any pointless thoughts in his mind. There was no reason to worry about it now. However, he came to a stop when he heard someone humming. Curious, he followed the sound and slowly came to a stop upon finding no one, despite the humming surrounding him. Kyuhyun frowned, gazing at the area, but continued to find nothing.

                “This is useless,” he mumbled, ready to resume his trek home.

                _“What are you doing here?”_

                Startled by the voice, Kyuhyun spun around, though saw no one. “Who’s there?”

                _“I cannot reveal myself to you.”_

                Kyuhyun frowned. “If this is some sort of trick—”

                _“A man who does not love is no threat to me,”_ the voice cut off, causing Kyuhyun to stiffen. _“A man who does not believe in his own stories is nothing.”_

                “Look, if this is some sort of practical joke, leave me alone. I don’t have time for this.”

                The voice made a sound, as if annoyed by his answer. _“You should learn to believe, boy. Otherwise, we’ll die.”_

                Kyuhyun raised an eyebrow, his arms crossed over his chest. “Die? What the hell are you talking about? Are you saying that if I don’t believe in love, you’ll die? How is that even possible?”

                _“Believe, child. Believe or else someone you will grow to love will perish because of your ignorance.”_

                Scoffing, Kyuhyun muttered something under his breath as he turned on his heel and walked away, not wanting to listen to any more of the voice’s insane words. As he made it to his apartment, he suddenly stilled upon recalling what the voice had said.

                _“Believe or someone you love will perish because of your ignorance.”_

Kyuhyun shook his head, entering his apartment and sighed. “You’re just tired,” he told himself. “You were imagining that crazy voice. There’s no such thing as love. It’s just a load of crap.”

                He nodded, believing in his words, but then his mind decided to remind him about what Sooyoung said. Despite the fact she knew about how much he hated the idea of love, he knew she was right. In order for his book to become a success, he needed to put in some truth into his words and not just something he had written on a whim. His readers needed to believe in his words, and they would only do that if he did the same.

                It was the words his mother had told him years ago as she told him her stories.

                Clicking his tongue, Kyuhyun hurried into the study, taking out an old leathered book from the bookcase and stared down at it. It was a journal composed of his mother’s stories, his source of inspiration. But as he struggled to recall a scene she had mention of love, he found none. Lips pursed, he opened the book, stopping at a random page and was stunned to see three simple words written on the page.

                _Believe in yourself._

“Great, now I’m seeing things. This wasn’t here before.” Kyuhyun snapped the book shut and took out the note Sungmin had given him earlier, staring down at the number and name written on it.

                Fingering it slightly, he sighed. “I guess I don’t really have much of a choice now, do I?” he mumbled, walking over to where the house phone was and picked it up. He hesitated for a split second, unsure if he should consider dialing in the number. The last thing he needed was someone to make fun of him for not believing in love, but he needed the help.

                And Sungmin wouldn’t lie to him about this.

                “Alright, let’s do this,” he tried to encourage, fingers finally dialing in the number.

                One ring.

                Two rings.

                Then the call was picked up.

                _“Hello?”_


	3. Chapter 3

                It was agony to wait.

                The thought crossed Kyuhyun’s mind several times as his knee continued bounce up and down, troubled by the anxious feeling within him. After making the call, he had tried his best to calm down, only to grow nervous again at the thought of Sungmin’s friend coming to visit. It had been two days since they both made arrangements, agreeing to meet at Kyuhyun’s apartment so that they can discuss the terms.

                After the call, Kyuhyun immediately called Sungmin, wanting some kind of advice to help him deal with his guest.

                But Sungmin wasn’t of any help at all.

                _“Just let him do all the work. Learn along the way.”_

“Right, and how is that supposed to help someone?” Kyuhyun mumbled, sounding irritated. He slumped back against the couch, glancing over at the clock hanging on the wall. He groaned. There was still two hours left before his guest came over.

                Refusing to allow himself to get bored to death, he stood up and walked into the study, grabbing his mother’s old book. He went back into the living room, sitting on the couch and made himself comfortable. Gazing down at the object, Kyuhyun allowed himself to run his hand over it, slowly feeling its texture. It had been too long since he had actually opened it up and read what was written inside; two days ago didn’t count. He recalled his mother writing in it often when he was a child, a quill pen in hand as she scribbled whatever story she wanted to keep in memory.

                _“Umma, what are you doing?” Kyuhyun asked, peering up at his mother curiously._

_His mother smiled, gentle and warm that it reminded the child of summer. She gently rubbed his head in a fond manner, making him lean into the touch like a purring cat. She giggled softly. “I am writing a story, Kyuhyunnie.”_

_“Really?” The child perked up, eager to know. “What’s it about?”_

_“Hmm, should I tell you?” his mother teased, tapping her finger against her chin as she pretended to think. When she heard her youngest son whined, she laughed. “Alright, let me tell you. It’s a story about two boys who meet each other one day and fall in love.”_

“It’s unheard of there being a story of two boys falling in love,” Kyuhyun mumbled, staring down at the book. “Society wouldn’t accept it. The world’s too cruel to even try to understand that sort of love.”

                Running his hand over the cover one more time, he placed the book on the coffee table and groaned. He wondered many times if he was truly doing the right thing by becoming a writer. As a child, he had given up the whole idea of true romance and adventure, only trying his best to continue his mother’s legacy. He had made it this far, having succeeded in selling two world-bestselling novels in the past three years.

                So why was he having so much trouble trying to write this single scene?

                He jolted in surprise when he heard a knock on the door. Hastily getting up to his feet, Kyuhyun barely spared the clock a glance as he made his way over to get it, taking in a few deep breaths before finally opening it. Kyuhyun stilled upon seeing the man from two days ago, immediately becoming fixated in those brown eyes that were staring at him.

                When a few minutes passed with neither of them saying something, the man cleared his throat. “Uh…can I come in?”

                “Oh, right!” Kyuhyun tried hard not to blush, stepping aside for his guest to come in. The moment he stepped inside, Kyuhyun closed the door and hastily showed his guest to the living room, immediately telling him to get comfortable. “Uh…can I get you something?”

                His guest laughed lightly. “Water’s just fine. I’m Lee Donghae, by the way.”

                Kyuhyun paused, eyes widening a fraction at the name.

                _“I’m Lee Donghae!” a young boy introduced himself with a bright smile, one that made Kyuhyun smile in return._

_Kyuhyun shuffled shyly. “I’m Cho Kyuhyun.”_

“Um…hello?”

                Shaking out of his shock, Kyuhyun cleared his throat upon seeing Donghae gazing at him curiously. “Sorry. I’m not used to having people over.”

                “I can tell,” Donghae chuckled, smiling at him to show no offense. “Sungmin told me a bit about you.”

                “Really? Like what?”

                Donghae tilted his head to the side for a moment, thinking. Then he smiled. “Well, he mostly just told me that you’re a bit of a hermit; you don’t like going out often and that it was a miracle in itself that you’ve managed to become friends with him.”

                “Yah, I resent that,” Kyuhyun huffed, frowning. “It’s not my fault I don’t like people.”

                “Then what about me?”

                The younger shifted a bit, looking uncomfortable. “Sungmin recommended you to help me with a little problem I have, so I took him on it. It doesn’t mean I’ve actually accepted you or anything – I just need the help.”

                “Ah, about love.” Donghae nodded in understanding. “Yes, he told me about that, too.”

                Kyuhyun eyed him closely, almost as if expecting the older man to criticize him for not knowing much about love. It was during that time of year when love would make itself known the most, especially since the holidays were coming up. However, he was surprised when Donghae didn’t comment on it; instead, he looked around the apartment, seemingly impressed by what he saw.

                “You’re not going to say anything about it?” Kyuhyun asked.

                The older man looked at him, blinking. “I wasn’t sure if you wanted me to. It seemed like a sensitive topic.”

                “Well, at least you’re observant.”

                Donghae smiled. “No, I’m just good at reading people.”

                Before Kyuhyun could snark at him, the older man continued, “Is it fine if I take a look at the draft of the chapter with the scene in it? Just so that I have a better idea of what I’m working with.”

                “You think I’d actually let you just read it?”

                “No, but that’s why I’m asking,” Donghae retorted, stunning Kyuhyun into silence.

                Pressing his lips together, Kyuhyun nodded and fetched the draft from the manila folder Sooyoung had given him just a couple of days prior. He reluctantly handed it over to Donghae, who gave him a soft ‘thanks’ before opening it. Realizing that they were still standing, Kyuhyun hastily brought the older man to the living room, telling him to sit while he read and hurried into the kitchen to fetch him something to drink. Despite not liking people, Sungmin had done his absolute best in training Kyuhyun to be a gracious host regardless of his feelings.

                He just needed to be polite.

                Lingering in the kitchen, Kyuhyun released a heavy breath, leaning against the sink. “Damn, I didn’t think it’d be this hard just to be nice to someone. Sungmin, you better be right about this.”

                After encouraging himself a few times, he finally grabbed two bottles of water out from his refrigerator and walked out of the kitchen, only slightly surprised to see Donghae still engrossed in his rough draft. He kept silent, not wanting to disturb the older man as he read. So, he decided to sit down on the other side of him, placing the bottle in front of Donghae as he patiently waited for the older man to finish. Finally, after what seemed like hours to Kyuhyun, Donghae placed the draft on top of the coffee table between them and kept silent, his expression a mask of thoughtfulness.

                “Well?”

                Flickering his eyes to look at Kyuhyun, a faint smile graced Donghae’s lips. “I can see where your editor’s concerns lie,” he stated, head tilting to the side. “However, I’ll admit that I don’t see anything wrong with the scene itself.”

                Eyebrows furrowing, the younger gazed at him curiously. “What do you mean?”

                “The two of them falling in love at first sight; the two of them already making plans of marrying – that’s not a bad way to start it off,” Donghae hummed. “But since this is the tenth chapter, you have to realize you’ll need to expand on your love story a little bit.”

                “Excuse me?”

                The older man chuckled, giving him a look that made Kyuhyun tighten his grip around his water bottle. He smiled. “No love ever truly works out well upon first sight,” Donghae explained softly. “Even in fairy tales – the love is expanded, no matter how brief and the characters fall in love with each other. Haven’t you ever seen the Disney movies?”

                “I try to make it a habit not to,” Kyuhyun commented dryly. He stilled upon realizing how he sounded, opening his mouth to apologize, but was surprised when the older man softly laughed instead.

                Donghae grinned. “Well, I suggest that you start then. Every writer should be aware of everything, taking in every nuance and detail the world has to offer. For a book like this, for a love story like this, I recommend watching some old classic romance films – like a Disney movie or even Titanic.”

                The younger man stuck his tongue out at the idea, looking faintly disturbed. “I really rather not,” he said, his voice almost sounding whiny. “Why do I have to waste my time watching movies?”

                “That’s funny; most people would rather spend their time watching movies,” Donghae retorted. “In fact, they’d rather get paid for that than do anything at all. Besides, what’s so bad about watching movies?”

                “Nothing’s wrong with them…it’s the fact that you’re making me watch romantic movies.”

                For a moment, Donghae craned his neck to stare at him, but then smiled. “Consider this as your first assignment in trying to figure out what love is. Try to understand how it develops, how it expands, and how it ties into the story.”

                Kyuhyun groaned. “You make it sound as if this is some sort of fairy tale.”

                “Fairy tales are rather enjoyable to read and learn from,” the older man disagreed with a hum. “And they’re the best source when it comes to love.”

                “I don’t believe in fairy tales.”

                Here, the older man gave a strange smile that caused small tremors to go down Kyuhyun’s spine. “You do,” he said softly. “Or you wouldn’t be writing these stories.”

                “What are you talking about?”

                Donghae chuckled. “It means whatever you think I’m talking about, Kyuhyun-ssi.’

\---

                Kyuhyun grumbled and glared at Donghae, who merely smirked back at him. Somehow, the two of them had managed to go through two Disney movies and Titanic in the past few hours – hours Kyuhyun argued that he could be using to rewrite the stupid scene. He honestly didn’t know how he’d allow the older man to convince him to even watch movies. All he knew was being shoved down onto the couch, too shocked to do anything other than watch Donghae somehow manage to hook up his iPad to his TV and start playing the movies.

                And he briefly wondered where the man had gotten the iPad in the first place and why he had such movies on there.

                So far, he wasn’t impressed with any of them. He had made comments every once in a while, mostly about Titanic and how stupid some Disney princesses were. He enjoyed Mulan, though the fighting more than the actual love scene.

                “This is getting us nowhere,” Kyuhyun complained, groaning as he slumped against the couch. “This isn’t exactly teaching me anything. All I see are some much overused plots wherein there’s a bad guy, the princess is somehow in distress, and the love interest has to go and save her.”

                Smiling in amusement, Donghae tilted his head. “Oh, then how should you write it?”

                “Why not let the princess do the saving?”

                “They do that in Mulan,” the older man hummed out. “Though, she’s not exactly a princess and her tale is a legend, not a fairy tale.”

                Kyuhyun rolled his eyes. “Mulan is badass. I like legends. Fairy tales are overrated at this point in time. I don’t see why Disney is still using them to make their movies.”

                “Hey, don’t say that. Some of the movies are very good,” the older man argued. “Like Tangled and Frozen.”

                “I can’t believe you actually watch those…”

                Donghae gave a shrug. “I like watching movies about love, along with a little excitement. Besides, haven’t you ever seen Shrek?”

                “It’s like Beauty and the Beast, except that they both become beasts.”

                “You’re rude.”

                “And you’re a sap.”

                The older man laughed softly, clearly amused by Kyuhyun and their banter. He smiled widely. “Fine, then. Let’s try a different approach.”

                Kyuhyun stared at him blankly. “What?”

                He yelped when Donghae abruptly pulled him off of the sofa, rendering him to a gaping mess as he was suddenly dragged out of his apartment in record time. By the time he snapped back into awareness, he was greeted by the chilled night air of Seoul, the city still bustling with sounds and lights. He opened his mouth to complain to Donghae, but the older man just chuckled.

                A small smile had Kyuhyun snapping his mouth shut, his lips pursed as he reluctantly allowed Donghae to drag him to wherever he had in mind. Kyuhyun told himself repeatedly that the only reason why he was allowing the older man to drag him around was because Sungmin told him the man was sensitive – not because he just so happened to remind Kyuhyun of his childhood friend.

                Shivering at the sudden chill, Kyuhyun blinked when they stopped, startled to see they were now standing in front of a restaurant. “Why are we here?”

                “I got hungry,” Donghae said simply, making the younger man want to punch him. “Oh, come on, it’s not that bad. I’m sure you’re hungry, too. We haven’t exactly eaten anything all day besides popcorn and that is not healthy.”

                “Whose fault was it in the first place?” Kyuhyun mumbled, sulking even when Donghae led him inside.

                Merely laughing, the older man continued to lead Kyuhyun to a table in the corner. He pushed Kyuhyun down into a seat before sitting across from him, sending a waitress a dashing smile as she approached their table. She spoke with an accent, Kyuhyun realized, something more similar to Chinese than Korean. He could only listen as Donghae replied to her in the same language, the words rolling off his tongue as if it was common for him.

                It probably was.

                Deciding to survey the restaurant whilst Donghae ordered their food, Kyuhyun saw a waitress trip and fall onto the ground, glass shattering around her as she dropped the glass cups and the tray. He saw as a few people laughed at her, most especially two women sitting at the table beside her, noticing one of them had her leg sticking out. A frown marred his face at the sight.

                The waitress winced as she slowly stood up, smiling shyly as one of the waiters hurried over to help her up.

                “That’s Seo Joohyun.”

                Taken aback by the sudden voice, Kyuhyun looked at Donghae, who was gazing at the waitress. “What?”

                “You’re looking at that waitress, right?” the older man asked, looking at him. “That’s Seo Joohyun. She’s a usual waitress here and works often, but I’ve heard rumors about her.”

                “What kind of rumors?”

                Donghae nodded towards to the two women who were still laughing. “Those two are her step-sisters, Krystal and Jessica. They’re a rather nasty pair when it comes to bullying her.”

                “Why are they even hurting her?” Kyuhyun asked with a frown. “I mean, there’s no point.”

                The older hummed, folding his hands together as he rested his chin on top of them. “You’re right, but what can we do to stop them? If we meddle, we can get sued. Their family is one of the most prestigious families in Seoul, so it’s not like we can just step in and be a hero.”

                “That’s stupid. They can be sent to jail for such abuse.”

                “Not if they can simply bribe the police,” the older man argued calmly. “They have connections and cops are easily corrupted when it comes to money. So, they’re not exactly reliable either.”

                Kyuhyun frowned at his words, knowing they were true. His eyes shifted over back to Joohyun, who was doing her best to assure the waiter who helped her earlier. He watched the two interact, seeing the concern frown painting the man’s face and the argument in his eyes. Blinking when the waiter gently tucked a lock of hair behind her ear, Kyuhyun saw the waitress shyly smile at him before walking away when another waitress came to help her.

                Somehow, something in his mind tickled, like an itch that he needed to scratch but couldn’t reach. It felt familiar.

\---

                “How did it go?” Sungmin asked the moment Donghae stepped into their shared apartment, seeing the younger man gently brush his coat. It was close to midnight already, a time that surprised Sungmin since he had expected his roommate to return much earlier that day. He knew Kyuhyun had a bit of a temper when it came to trying to being forced to learn something he didn’t want to learn – love and fairy tales being the most sensitive subjects – so he was more than taken aback by seeing Donghae coming back so late.

                It was unheard of.

                Donghae sighed loudly, massaging the nape of his neck. “You weren’t kidding when you said the guy would be hard to budge,” he muttered, dropping his coat over the couch. “We’ve watched Disney movies all afternoon and for dinner, I took him out to the restaurant Seohyun works at.”

                “How’s she doing?” Sungmin asked, concerned over the waitress they had grew to know and befriend over the years. Though, he knew the two of them couldn’t do anything more to help her.

                It wasn’t their place.

                “I think Krystal tripped her earlier, so she broke a few cups,” the younger related, leaning against the back of the couch. “But Changmin was there to help her up.”

                Sungmin felt the corner of his lips curl up into a smile. “He’s always been a good guy. I just hope he’s the best guy for her. He’s a good guy and all, but you know you can’t ever really trust those types.”

                “I don’t think we’ll have any trouble when it comes to Changmin and Seohyun,” Donghae muttered. At the curious look he received from his roommate, he merely smiled faintly. “Anyway, I’m going to go to sleep. It’s been a long day and if I want to have another session with him, I’ll need to prepare for his snarkiness and attitude.”

                Only managing to nod, Sungmin watched the younger man bid him goodnight before grabbing his coat and wandering into his room at the end of the hall. He hummed softly and locked the door, sighing softly as he walked back to his own bedroom. Slipping inside, Sungmin saw his cell phone blinking on the nightstand. Curious, he walked over, picking it up to take a glance at it. He chuckled upon seeing the familiar name, sliding his finger across the screen to unlock it.

                _I miss you._

Smiling, he quickly typed up a reply.

                _I miss you, too. Don’t worry; I’ll be home soon. I promise._


	4. Chapter 4

The sound of something crashing was the first thing that greeted Kyuhyun as he stepped into the restaurant Donghae had taken him to last night. He cringed, recognizing the sound of a tray hitting the floor and a small scream. Looking over, he frowned slightly to see Joohyun struggling to stand up, a small wince masking her face once she managed to stand upright. Kyuhyun made a move to step forward, only to stop when he saw the same waiter from before hurrying over to help her.

                “Sir?”

                Startled, Kyuhyun turned around to see one of the hostesses looking at him curiously. Mumbling in apology, he followed her to an empty table in the middle of the restaurant. He shifted, feeling uncomfortable being alone whilst surrounded by so many people, but he reasoned that he was there only to do research. Quickly ordering something to eat from the waitress, he settled himself and observed the restaurant, trying his best to avoid looking at Joohyun.

                He shifted a bit as he waited for his food to arrive, looking up when he heard words of concern flow through the waitresses’ mouths. Turning to look, he saw a man rubbing his ankle whilst Joohyun apologized profusely, embarrassment evident on her face as she helped the man up and into an empty seat. Eyebrow rising, Kyuhyun studied the man’s face closely, blinking a few times as he struggled to remember who he was.

                The man certainly did seem familiar.

                “I wasn’t expecting to see you here so soon.”

                Looking up, Kyuhyun hid a frown upon seeing Donghae walking over to him. The older man simply smiled in return; not at all bothered by the sudden grumpiness Kyuhyun was exhibiting.

                “I liked the food here,” Kyuhyun muttered. “What are you doing here?”

                “I came to see a friend,” Donghae answered, nodding over to the injured man. “Though, I’m sure I’ll have to wait for a bit until they all stop crowding around him.”

                Kyuhyun shifted a bit. “You know him?”

                A nod and Donghae was suddenly sitting across from Kyuhyun. “We’ve been…business partners for a while now. That guy is Choi Minho, the youngest heir to Choi Corporations.”

                “Fancy,” the younger man muttered. “I didn’t think you knew guys like that.”

                His companion smiled. “You get to meet a lot of interesting people in my line of work, Kyuhyun-ssi.”

                “And what is it that you do, anyway?”

                Donghae grinned. “I help people find love.”

                Almost wanting to snort at his words, Kyuhyun held it back and thanked the waitress quietly as she returned with his food and drink. When she turned to face Donghae, asking him what he would like, Kyuhyun could only stare at the older man, who was staring back at hm.

                The older man smirked. He quietly refused, giving the waitress a charming smile that had her blushing and walk away.

                “Do you do that often?” Kyuhyun found himself asking, sounding annoyed.

                Donghae raised an eyebrow. “Does it bother you?”

                “You shouldn’t play with someone’s feelings.”

                “That’s something you’d know most of all, don’t you?” Ignoring the glare being directed at him, Donghae craned his neck and smiled when Minho walked over to them, a sheepish smile on his face. “Minho, there you are. How are you feeling?”

                Minho gave Kyuhyun a polite nod of acknowledgment before turning to face Donghae. “I kind of hurt myself a little,” he admitted sheepishly. “So they all suggested I go get it checked out.”

                Donghae chuckled, smiling. “You’ve always been a bit clumsy. How are you supposed to dance later for tonight’s party?”

                “I’m hoping I don’t have to, but speaking of the party, I was hoping you’d come.” Pausing, Minho looked over at Kyuhyun, who attempted to seem as if he was trying not to overhear their conversation. “If you’d like, you can bring your friend with you.”

                Head snapping up, Kyuhyun stared at Donghae wide-eyed when the older man nodded.

                “Great! Then I’ll see you two tonight,” Minho said cheerfully, clapping a hand against Donghae’s shoulder.

                Donghae gave him a nod, watching the young man excuse himself and hastily leave the restaurant before turning to face Kyuhyun, who was glaring at him angrily. “What?”

                “I’m not going to the stupid party.”

                “Why not?”

                “Because I don’t like people.”

                “Then this is the perfect time for you to get out of your comfort zone,” Donghae reasoned, earning a harsher glare from his companion. Sitting upright in his seat, he leaned forward, fixing Kyuhyun a certain look that had him going still. He continued, “Remember that I’m supposed to be helping you understand love, Kyuhyun-ssi. Going to this party will help.”

                “And how do you know that?”

                The older man grinned. “Because I know everything that will end up happening tonight.”

\---

                Kyuhyun mumbled to himself, glaring down at his attire. Somehow, he was forced to attend the party with Donghae, easily giving into the older man’s demands without any reason. Now that he thought about it, so far, it seemed as if Donghae was capable of getting him to do anything.

                Shaking his head, he reluctantly entered the building in front of him, only to stop when he recognized Joohyun off to the side, wincing a little as she rubbed her arm. After a quick glance around, he hurried over to her. “Hey, are you okay?”

                Startled, Joohyun looked up and smiled slightly. “Yes, I’m fine. Thank you for asking.”

                “Uh…what are you doing here?”

                “I’m on my way home,” she said shyly, shifting a bit. “Since everyone else is going to the party…”

                “You weren’t invited?”

                Joohyun paused, looking down as she gripped her skirt tightly. Then she let it go. “I was,” she admitted, “but Krystal and Jessica-unnie told me that I couldn’t go. So I just finished work and was walking home.”

                Glancing towards the building where the party was being held, Kyuhyun looked back at her. “Do you want to attend?”

                “W-What?” Her eyes widened. “No, I couldn’t! They’ll both be mad at me if I go! Besides, I-I have to go home and finish my chores, too. I don’t have time to go to the party, anyway. S-So…”

                Kyuhyun frowned, listening to her tale closely. It sounded eerily familiar to another story, a fairy tale, if he recalled. However, given his lack of care over such stories, he brushed it away. All he knew for the moment was to convince Joohyun to attend to the party, regardless whether or not her stepsisters agreed to it.

                “I’m sure they won’t mind,” he assured her. “As long as they don’t recognize you, anyway.”

                Joohyun stared at him with wide eyes. “What?”

                “Come on.” Before he could even give her a chance to protest, he grabbed her hand and led her inside. He nodded to the host who was giving them strange looks, and continued to lead Joohyun before finally spotting Donghae near the elevators, clad in a simple black suit. “Donghae-ssi!”

                Looking up, Donghae stared upon seeing Kyuhyun and Joohyun. “Kyuhyun-ssi…did you kidnap her?”

                “What? No, of course not!”

                Giving Kyuhyun a look that clearly stated that he didn’t believe him, Donghae looked at Joohyun. “Seohyun-ah, what are you doing here?”

                “Um…this Oppa here thought it’d be a good idea for me to attend the party,” Joohyun told Donghae shyly.

                Kyuhyun held back the smug he felt upon seeing the surprise that masked Donghae’s face. “Isn’t there a dressing room or something in here where we can put her in a dress?”

                “Uh, yeah.” Donghae nodded before giving Joohyun a look, seeing her give him an apologetic smile. Sighing, he shook his head. “Come on, if we hurry, then we can get you changed just before the party starts.”

                Joohyun looked hesitant. “But what if they recognize me, Oppa? If they do—”

                “They won’t,” the oldest hurriedly assured her, placing his hands on her shoulders. Somehow, the sight of it made Kyuhyun feel warmth in his chest, remembering the action to be comforting and reassuring. “Kyuhyun and I will do everything in our power to ensure that your sisters won’t recognize you.”

                A whimper and Joohyun looked up at him. “Promise?”

                “Promise.” Donghae smiled at her, patting her head, and then turned to Kyuhyun. “Come on, if we hurry, then we can get her all dressed up. But we have to do it in a way that Krystal and Jessica won’t know it’s her.”

                Kyuhyun raised an eyebrow. “And how exactly are we going to do that?”

                “We’re simply going to turn the ugly duckling into a swan.”

                Shaking his head, Kyuhyun followed after Donghae and Joohyun as he led the latter upstairs in a rush. The three eventually reached an empty room, filled with discarded dresses and accessories. It made Kyuhyun briefly wonder just what kind of people would leave clothes like these, but then remembered the building was owned by high society people.

                “Kyuhyun-ssi, do you know how to do hair?” Donghae suddenly asked.

                The younger man made a face at him. “Of course I don’t.”

                “Then look for a dress,” Donghae said, pulling away from the mess of dresses and made his way over to Joohyun. “And I’ll help Seohyun-ah do her hair.”

                “I’m a size six,” Joohyun supplied helpfully.

                Giving Donghae a look, he held back a sigh and proceeded to search for dresses. He could hear Donghae and Joohyun talk to each other in low tones as if making sure he wasn’t listening in on them. The thought of it made him frown, wondering just what it was they were trying to hide from him.

                “Kyuhyun-ssi, did you manage to find something?”

                Kyuhyun looked up to see Donghae looking back at him through the mirror. He shook his head, looking back at the dresses. As he searched through them, he eventually found a dress he liked and hurried over to where Joohyun was. “How does this look?”

                Curious, Joohyun peeked at it and smiled widely. “This is beautiful, Oppa. Thank you!”

                “We’ll leave you to change now,” Donghae told her. “And we’ll meet in the main hall. Just remember not to act too suspicious, okay?”

                With a nod, Joohyun waved the two of them out.

\---

                The sight of the guests crowding in the main hall disoriented Kyuhyun, his instincts freaking out about being in such close proximity to a big crowd. His grip around his wine glass tightened, threatening to break the stem, when he felt a presence beside him. Loosening his hold, Kyuhyun turned his head to see Donghae standing beside him, the older man’s eyes surveying the guests.

                “So explain to me how dragging me to this party would help me understand love,” Kyuhyun decided to say to spark a conversation.

                Donghae smirked. “How familiar are you with the fairy tale of Cinderella?”

                “Isn’t that the one where Cinderella had two evil stepsisters and a stepmother who made her life a living hell? And then a fairy godmother came to help her go to the ball when they wouldn’t let her?”

                “The one and only,” the older man said happily. “Do you remember the climax of it?”

                “The climax?” Kyuhyun blinked. “Oh, you mean when the prince danced with her and at the stroke of midnight, she fled and left behind a glass slipper.”

                Donghae nodded, his eyes seemingly focused on something else. “And the prince starts looking for her after the ball. Tell me where you can find the love in that.”

                Eyebrows furrowing in confusion, Kyuhyun stared at Donghae before sighing. “I don’t find the love. They had only met once, so love shouldn’t be able to spark so fast between the two of them.”

                “That’s true,” his companion agreed. “So what are your thoughts?”

                Kyuhyun frowned. “He’s an idiot for searching for a girl in the entire kingdom after one night.”

                “But what if he knew she was special? What then?”

                “Reality doesn’t work that way.”

                “Reality’s not what you think it is.”

                At his words, Kyuhyun looked at Donghae, eying him curiously. From their first encounter, Kyuhyun knew that Donghae had this strong belief in fairy tales, not even seeming perturbed by his lack of care over such stories. There was something strange about the male that irked Kyuhyun to the point where it bothered him immensely, though it wasn’t as disturbing as his fascination with love.

                “What makes you say that?” Kyuhyun decided to ask.

                Donghae chuckled, tucking his hands into his pants’ pockets. “If you allow yourself to open your eyes a little more, Kyuhyun-ssi, then you’d be able to see something children would see.”

                “Children have imagination.”

                “That’s why they have the purest souls,” was all Donghae said before he excused himself when they both heard a woman call out to him.

                Watching him leave, Kyuhyun felt even more confused than before. But when he heard gasps of awe echo in the room, he followed everyone’s gazes, eyes widening upon seeing Joohyun entering the room. She certainly seemed different, seemingly more confident as she entered the crowds of people. He hastily placed the wine glass on a nearby table before it slipped through his fingers, too shocked by her appearance.

                He hastily hid behind a column, recognizing the waiter from the restaurant walking over to Joohyun with a wide smile on his face. The gaze between them made his spine tingle as his mind refused to believe what Donghae was hinting towards him.

                Turning away, Kyuhyun rubbed his face and breathed out, heading over to the buffet table. However, he stopped when a man stood in front of him. “Yes?”

                “I’m sorry; I was just wondering who you were,” the man claimed with a smile. He offered a hand. “I’m Jung Yunho. And you are?”

                Kyuhyun stared at the hand for a long moment before looking up at the man. Cautiously, he gripped his hand and briefly shook hands with him. “Cho Kyuhyun.”

              Yunho’s smile widened. “Kyuhyun, huh? Well then, it’s a pleasure to meet you. Are you here with someone?”

                “Actually—”

                “Hyung.” Kyuhyun hastily released Yunho’s hand when Donghae approached them, an unusual seriousness painting his face. He was unusually tense, his shoulders rigid and hands clenched. “What are you doing here?”

                Yunho didn’t seem to mind the unusual behavior as he turned to face Donghae. “I was invited, of course. I didn’t expect you to bring a guest with you.”

                A tight smile graced Donghae’s lips. “Minho decided to invite him as well. Shouldn’t you be off with Boa or something? I’m sure she’s missing your presence entirely.”

                “Indeed. I hope we meet again, Kyuhyun-ssi.” With another smile, Yunho nodded his heads towards Kyuhyun and walked off, blending into the masses of people in the room.

\---

                Donghae could feel himself shaking the moment he saw Yunho approach Kyuhyun. His palms were beginning to freeze, gradually becoming colder enough that he had to clench his jaw and hold it back in. Around him, he saw the people become affected by the sudden decrease of temperature, ignoring their curious looks as they surveyed the room for the source. Forcing himself to remain calm, he politely excused himself from the person he was talking to and walked over to where Yunho and Kyuhyun stood.

                The closer he got to them, he saw Yunho’s eyes flicker towards his direction. A chill ran down his spine upon seeing the older man’s eyes a light green instead of the usual brown he was familiar with. He held back a grimace, deciding to keep his face expressionless.

                A few words and Yunho was off, but it did nothing to ease Donghae’s worry.

                Yunho had seen Kyuhyun. He had spoken to him.

                That was a threat Donghae couldn’t ignore.

                “Hey, are you okay?”

                Donghae blinked in surprise, turning to look at Kyuhyun, who was gazing at him curiously. Forcing a smile onto his face, he nodded. “Yeah, I’m fine.”

                “It doesn’t seem like you are…”

                “Never mind that…let’s just go,” Donghae muttered, earning another confused look from the younger. He was relieved when Kyuhyun nodded, and immediately began ushering his companion out. However, he was still aware of the two of them being watched, causing him to clench his teeth.

                It was only later after he dropped Kyuhyun off at his apartment did Donghae park outside of the building, leaning against his black convertible. Breathing heavily, he closed his eyes, trying to push away the dread lingering in his chest. When he felt a sudden onslaught of iciness, he opened his eyes and stiffened to see the area around him beginning to snow. Feeling his breathing beginning to speed up, Donghae looked down at his hands to see them slowly turning blue, a peculiar mark staining his palm.

                He hissed, concentrating hard enough until the mark began to fade away, leaving no trace of it behind. Resisting the urge to shudder, he clenched his hands tightly, willing the cold to disappear. When he felt the snow finally disappear and his body gradually warm up, he breathed out a sigh of relief.

                _“It’s getting worse, isn’t it?”_

                Not even surprised by the unexpected voice, Donghae slowly unclenched his hands, staring down at the unmarred skin. “Yes.”

                _“Do you still think you can make him believe in our world before time passes?”_

Breathing out slowly, Donghae stared up at the sky, finally feeling himself return to normal. He knew it was a risk to be going out in his condition, but he also knew he was the only person capable of completing the task assigned to him by Sungmin. In order to survive, he needed Kyuhyun to believe again. But, it wasn’t an easy feat as he first believed, despite knowing just what kind of person Kyuhyun had become over the years.

                “I have no choice,” he whispered. “He’s my only chance.”

                _“Then let us hope your only chance won’t end up being the one to kill you in the end. Otherwise, this world will crumble.”_


	5. Chapter 5

            He remembered a time when he was a young boy that he was often amused by the cold and snow that often fell from the sky during the winter. It was a time where he hadn’t realized what he was or what he was capable of. All he knew was that he enjoyed the cold weather the winter brought, the stunning scenery ice and snow had wrought together.

                It wasn’t until he encountered someone who told him what he was after the little boy left him in the store. That person helped him control his powers, tried his best to keep in his emotions to ward off from setting off an accidental snowstorm.

                Jung Yunho.

                The name caused Donghae’s teeth to grit together as he glared up at the ceiling. He was still on edge about what happened at the party, and Sungmin’s inquiry about it wasn’t helping either.

                Yunho was a dangerous man, Donghae can vouch for that. But he was also the only other person he trusted with his life.

                Groaning, he turned to lie on his side, gripping his blanket tightly with one hand. He growled upon seeing frost decorating the wall. With a few deep breaths, he focused on the frost, watching it slowly disappear into thin air. The action itself was tiring, but he knew it was what he had to do if he wanted to keep on living.

                His powers were getting more and more out of control lately, and Donghae knew why.

                But how the hell was he supposed to make someone like Kyuhyun believe in love and fairy tales again? The boy had completely changed over the years, and Donghae only had the boy’s family to blame. He had spent years watching over Kyuhyun, giving him support whenever he needed it, but he could never get close to him again after Kyuhyun vowed to no longer believe in love and fairy tales.

                Donghae clicked his tongue in irritation, eyebrows furrowing.

                There was a connection somewhere, he could feel it, but he didn’t know what it was. And Sungmin was asleep so he couldn’t bother the male about it either.

                But he was snapped out of his musings when he heard his cell phone vibrating, causing him to sit up and reach over for the device. Upon seeing the name flashing on the screen, he grimaced. Without wasting any time, he slid his finger against the screen, unlocking it and opening up the message.

                _You should bring your friend more often, Donghae. I can’t wait to get to know him. Maybe then, we both can end this charade._

                Donghae refused replying, knowing that the older man was only egging him on. Shakily placing the device back on the bedside table, Donghae stood up from the comforts of his bed and walked over to the window, sliding it open. Immediately, the chilled air of the Seoul night greeted him, making him inhale the air greedily.

                The cold eased his mind, soothed his pain.

                As expected from someone who practically lived on the cold alone and loathed the heat.

                He slumped against the window sill, eyes staring blankly out at the city until he felt a breeze brush against his cheek, a whisper coming from it.

                “What do you want?” he asked, irritated.

                A low chuckle. _“You sound annoyed, dear one. Has Yunho irritated you this much already?”_

Donghae scowled. “Why did you allow him to leave?” he demanded, pushing himself upright. “You know that he’s detrimental in this world.”

                _“Ah, but that is exactly why I let him leave. If I kept him in that world, he’d just hurt it as well.”_

“So you send him here?”

                _“Remember your first lesson, Donghae. Everything must happen for a reason. You were born to keep the hope alive; Yunho was born to guide the world.”_

Donghae held back the urge to snort. “Then what about him? Why are you so interested in him?”

                _“Because he is the one who shall create a new world.”_

\---

                His thoughts were jumbled.

                His head hurt.

                Yet, all Kyuhyun could think about was what Donghae had talked to him before. It was a mystery to him as to why he suddenly mentioned Cinderella during the party, only to realize what he was alluding to. When he got home that night, he struggled to understand the importance to it before noticing the similarities between Joohyun’s situation with Cinderella. It made no sense to him as to why or how their situation became so alike, even after he struggled to find out the cause of it.

                But he knew it wasn’t just a coincidence.

                “Does that mean Joohyun-ssi is with that waiter guy?” Kyuhyun mumbled to himself, staring down at the notes he made over his observations. The idea of it seemed too simplistic for his tastes, but he had seen their interactions in the restaurant. If their love had begun in that place, then they would have time to expand it and become more involved. Then Kyuhyun took into consideration about what Donghae had told him; Joohyun had two stepsisters who lived to make her life miserable.

                But there were still missing pieces of information Kyuhyun needed.

                His frustration only grew when he remembered he didn’t know the outcome of what happened to Joohyun since Donghae had taken him home early. It made him want to go confront Joohyun himself, but he refrained from doing so. The last thing he wanted was to scare Joohyun because of his sudden eagerness to try to understand the riddle Donghae had inadvertently given him.

                With a defeated groan, he placed his pen down and rubbed his temples, feeling a migraine coming on. A glance at the clock had him palming his face.

                He had been up all night trying to do what he can to connect everything together. It was a miracle in itself he hadn’t collapsed during the night given the fact Kyuhyun loved to sleep.

                Yawning, he stretched his arms over his head, groaning when he felt his shoulders crack at the movement. Massaging the nape of his neck, Kyuhyun slid out of his chair and headed over to the bathroom, finally feeling the need to go.

                It was only an hour later after he showered and freshened up did he decide to get a cup of coffee, hoping that Sungmin would be kind enough to give him a free drink. Although the café the older worked in usually frowned at giving away free drinks, Sungmin had always managed to find a way to slip him a free beverage – whether or not he liked it.

                Humming, he breathed in the chilled, crisp air of Seoul, shuddering from the intensity of it. He hurried to the café, and almost drew back in surprise upon seeing Donghae standing at the counter, ordering.

                He briefly wondered if he should try to escape, but knew he was caught the moment the older man looked over at him.

                What Kyuhyun didn’t expect was to see Donghae look terrible; he had dark rings under his eyes and his hair was a tousled mess. Feeling an unexpected concern for the older man, he walked over to him. “What the hell happened to you?”

                “I couldn’t sleep,” Donghae yawned. “So I’ve been up all night.”

                “You look as if you’ve just been through hell.”

                Donghae snorted. “Hell would be too kind,” he muttered, turning back to the counter to take his drink, quietly thanking the barista.

                “Go sit down,” Kyuhyun muttered, taking Donghae by the elbow and leading him to the small lounge area near the back of the café. He didn’t go to that area often, but it was a nice private setting, especially when he felt exhausted and simply wanted to take a nap.

                After forcing Donghae to sit down without managing to spill his drink, Kyuhyun excused himself to walk back to the counter, seeing Sungmin behind it this time.

                “Kyuhyun-ah,” Sungmin voiced out in surprise. “What are you doing here?”

                “Getting coffee, what do you think?” the younger retorted. “Donghae looks terrible.”

                Sungmin sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose. “He’s been up all night, messing around in the kitchen. I tried to get him to sleep, but he just kept coming out and eventually ended up leaving the apartment.”

                “How irresponsible.”

                “Yeah, but it’s not like I can blame him,” Sungmin muttered, fetching Kyuhyun a cup of coffee. “That guy had it hard since the very beginning. I think whatever happened last night just ended up stressing him out even more.”

                Curious and feeling a little worried, Kyuhyun could only accept the drink and left the counter just before heading back to the back lounge. He saw Donghae leaning against the lounge chair, head against the wall while his drink was placed on the coffee table in front of him. Studying the older man, Kyuhyun placed his cup on top of the coffee table and walked around it in order to sit next to Donghae.

                Upon closer inspection, he realized that Donghae was sleeping, his eyes were closed and his breathing was even. His eyes trailed over the man’s physique, easily noticing the signs of weariness settling in. He couldn’t help himself from gently brushing his fingers against his skin.

                Almost immediately, he yanked his hand back, eyes slightly wide.

                He held his breath when Donghae shifted, only to settle down again. Kyuhyun released his breath, and stared at the older man in confusion.

                Why was he so cold?

                Kyuhyun jumped when Donghae opened his eyes.

                “Did I fall asleep?” Donghae murmured, his voice low and hoarse.

                Kyuhyun gave a nod. “You look really tired.”

                “I already told you I couldn’t sleep,” the older muttered, blinking a few times.

                Nodding again, but slower this time, Kyuhyun pursed his lips. “Are you okay?” he decided to ask. “You feel…very cold.”

                Donghae stilled, appearing more awake as he looked over at Kyuhyun with wide eyes. “What?”

                “Yeah, your skin is turning a little blue.”

                Kyuhyun reeled back in surprise when the older man suddenly stood and hurried to the counter, eyes wide with panic once he reached Sungmin. He could only watch as Sungmin immediately adopt a concerned look on his face, hastily walking around the counter to take Donghae by the arm and lead him into the back of the café. Sitting in shock for a moment, Kyuhyun was more than just a little confused as to what just happened.

                But as he looked back over at where Donghae was sitting, he was stunned to see the spot covered in frost.

\---

                Night soon arrived and Kyuhyun hadn’t seen Donghae again after the incident back in the café. He was even surprised himself when he actually walked up to Sungmin in order to inquire about his whereabouts. What he received was a strained smile and a gesture to leave the store. It irked him, but it didn’t bother him as much as knowing that he actually cared about the older man and he hadn’t even known him for very long.

                But as Kyuhyun made his way back to his apartment, he stopped upon seeing Donghae leaning against the gates leading to the complex. He tilted his head, easily noticing the way the older man was clutching at his biceps tightly, his fingers digging into the fabric of his coat.

                “Donghae?” he called out tentatively.

                Donghae looked up, appearing slightly startled, but then relaxed a bit. “Kyuhyun,” he breathed out. “How’ve you been?”

                “Other than confused? Just dandy.”

                The older man managed a small smile at the joke, but he still didn’t move from his spot. “Are you doing anything tonight?”

                “Other than go home and sleep?” Kyuhyun raised an eyebrow, looking at him strangely. “No, there isn’t.”

                “Great! Then can you come with me somewhere?”

                Kyuhyun blinked slowly. “It’s usually polite first to call someone if you want to schedule a date, Donghae-ssi.”

                “Well, I think we both could agree by now that I’m not like most people,” Donghae claimed, finally walking over to Kyuhyun and grabbed his wrist. He flashed the younger man a bright smile. “So what do you say?”

                “I guess I don’t have a choice.”

                Donghae chuckled, briefly releasing Kyuhyun’s wrist in order to hold his hand properly.

                The action caused a rush of heat to come to Kyuhyun’s cheeks, surprised at the unexpected action. However, he made no move to pull it away, somehow feeling secured by the simple hand holding. The feeling he had of having Donghae’s hand in his made him feel as if he had done this with the older man before, and his mind flashed back to the little boy he used to play with.

                Only the little boy sparked feelings in Kyuhyun he felt with Donghae.

                As the two of them walked to wherever Donghae had in mind, Kyuhyun decided to concentrate on the older man. Unlike before in the café, Donghae seemed much healthier now – his skin was a healthy color, there weren’t any bags under his eyes, and he seemed somewhat livelier. Yet Kyuhyun couldn’t get rid of this weird feeling that there was still something wrong with his companion.

                “Where are we going?” Kyuhyun finally decided to ask.

                Donghae peered at him from over his shoulder and grinned. “We’re going to go to a special place of mine.”

                “Are you sure about that? We haven’t exactly known each other for very long for you to show me your special place.”

                “I’m more than sure,” the older assured him. “So don’t worry about it too much.”

                Almost pouting, Kyuhyun walked after Donghae, looking around curiously once he realized they were entering the busy part of the city. Bright lights greeted him wherever he looked and the crowds of people bustling on the street prompted him to step even closer to Donghae, his grip on his hand tightening a little.

                He almost blushed upon hearing Donghae chuckle.

                “Still not used to being around crowds?” he heard the older man ask.

                Kyuhyun shook his head. “I’ve nearly spent my life avoiding people.”

                “Then hopefully that’ll change,” Donghae mused, continuing to lead Kyuhyun through the busy streets.

                To Kyuhyun’s surprise, they arrived at a hotel, both of them slipping inside. He gazed around in awe, surprised he would find himself in one of the grandest hotels Seoul had to offer. Throughout his life in Seoul, he had yet to ever actually enter the more busy streets of the city, more content with staying in the quieter side. So he had never set foot in the area socialites would be in, usually doing his best to avoid them as much as possible.

                He certainly hadn’t expected Donghae to take him there.

                “What are we doing here?” Kyuhyun asked after the two of them hopped onto the elevator, heading to the very top floor.

                Donghae crossed his arms, staring at the door that reflected the two of them. “There’s someone who wants to meet you. Someone…who can help you with understanding love much more better than I can.”

                “Does that mean you’re not going to be teaching me anymore?” Kyuhyun wondered.

                The older man chuckled. “Only temporarily. Why? Are you disappointed?”

                “And why would I be disappointed about that?”

                “Maybe because you care more than you think,” Donghae reasoned, earning a scoff from the younger male.

                Kyuhyun crossed his arms. “You’re insane.”

                “No, I’m not,” the older said, uncrossing his arms and grabbing Kyuhyun’s elbow to turn him so that they could look at each other better. The look he was giving Kyuhyun made him feel a tingle go down his spine, his skin steadily growing hotter.

                He was scared of how he was feeling, of how Donghae was making him react. But what scared him more was the way the older man’s eyes were icy blue instead of its usual dark brown, making him tense. It was abnormal for anyone’s eyes to change color – well, unless you were one of the few special people whose eye colors change in the sun, but it was still strange.

                And the longer Kyuhyun stared into those eyes, the more he seemed to recall his childhood friend, whose eyes were the same color.

                Donghae gazed at him solemnly, no more of his usual perkiness. With his other hand, he brushed his thumb against Kyuhyun’s cheek, making him shudder upon realizing just how cold Donghae’s skin was.

                “Perhaps the one who’s insane is you,” Donghae whispered before he abruptly pulled away from Kyuhyun as their elevator reached their designated floor.

                Kyuhyun could only stand there, stunned about what happened. But he quickly composed himself in order to follow Donghae, his mind struggling to come to terms with what was going on. Though he was sure he had never met Donghae before that day when they first ran into each other, the idea of him running into the older man when they were children kept coming back. The signs were there; he just didn’t want to believe it.

                There was simply no way.

                But he snapped out of his thoughts when they entered a penthouse, eyes widening at the size of it. It was almost as big as a house – perhaps even grander. It was beautiful, almost as if it was made out of pure crystal, the entire setting a picture of white and shades of blue. However, what stood out to Kyuhyun the most was the chill that surrounded the penthouse, making it seem even more like some sort of winter wonderland.

                “Whose penthouse is this?” he whispered, as if afraid to break the silence that had been reigning in the place.

                Donghae hummed. “Someone special to me,” he said vaguely. “Don’t worry. She won’t do anything to you.”

                “How do you know that?”      

                The older man simply smiled, leading him to another part of the penthouse. He didn’t say anything until they finally arrived in front of a door encased with what Kyuhyun assumed to be some sort of special lock. Peering at it closely, he jumped when the lock unwind itself, almost like snakes coiling and leaving. As Donghae opened the door, they were greeted with drapes filling the room, creating an air of mystery.

                Kyuhyun could only follow Donghae inside, careful not to step on anything or run into anything. He stuck close to the older man, only to freeze in shock when they arrived in front of a bed. Eyes widening, Kyuhyun took in the sight of the woman lying in the bed, her hands folded together on her stomach above the duvet covers, her silky black hair fanning out on the bed. To Kyuhyun, she seemed like a fallen angel with her beauty.

                But the sight was heartbreaking.

                “Donghae…who is this?” Kyuhyun whispered.

                Donghae was quiet for a moment as he gently traced the woman’s cheek with a finger. Then he looked up at Kyuhyun, eyes solemn.

                “This is my younger sister, Tiffany.”


	6. Chapter 6

   _“This is my younger sister, Tiffany.”_

Kyuhyun closed his eyes, trying his best to erase the picture of Tiffany in his mind. Shortly after Donghae had introduced her to him, he ran. He didn’t know what prompted the action, but it happened. He recalled feeling scared; frightened at the mere idea of being in the same room as Tiffany any longer. It wasn’t as if he was terrified of being near her – though he’d admit that he was a little crept out – it was just that the image of seeing her in that state brought back memories of his mother.

                _“Umma?” Kyuhyun whimpered, his eyes pleading as he grasped his mother’s hand tightly in his own. “What’s wrong?”_

_His mother smiled, but it was crinkly around the corners and her eyes looked tired._

_It was an image of his mother Kyuhyun had never seen before._

_“Kyuhyun-ah,” his mother spoke up, her voice low and hoarse. “Don’t forget, okay? And don’t stop believing. Hold onto the stories I’ve told you, never let them go. During the times you’re in despair, they will be the ones to help you the most.”_

“Umma,” Kyuhyun whimpered, feeling his heart ache as memories of his mother flooded back into his mind. He curled up on his couch, arms wrapped tightly around his knees whilst placing his head against them. He tried his best to keep his sobs from escaping, not wanting to show any sort of weakness. But all Kyuhyun could think about was his mother, seeing her face look so withdrawn, and how fragile her hand felt in his own tiny one.

                Seeing Tiffany in that same state did nothing but bring back painful memories for him.

                Jolting in shock at the unexpected sound against his door, Kyuhyun looked up. He stared at the door, hearing the knocking continued before it paused.

                “…Kyuhyun?” he heard Donghae’s voice call out tentatively. “Kyuhyun, I know you’re in there. I’m sorry if seeing my sister like that brought back painful memories for you…”

                Kyuhyun kept quiet, not wanting the older man to actually believe he was inside of the apartment. A part of him wanted to throw something at Donghae for sparking up such painful memories, but another part was longing for the comfort he never received as a child.

                _“Hyung…hyung, where’s Umma?” Kyuhyun sobbed, clinging onto his brother’s hand._

_His brother didn’t say anything, staring blankly out of the window. Then he sighed, turning to look at Kyuhyun. “Umma isn’t here anymore, Hyun,” he said sadly. “She’s gone.”_

_“Gone where? Why didn’t she take us with her?”_

_“Because she doesn’t love us anymore.”_

“Kyuhyun, please open the door,” Donghae pleaded, his voice muffled through the thick wood. “Please? I just want to talk to you.”

                “Go away!”

                Kyuhyun heard Donghae sigh, making him bite his lip. Instead of deciding to worry about the older man, he curled up even further, closing his eyes tightly. He knew Donghae wouldn’t stick around for long – they never do. His father had immersed himself in his work shortly after his mother’s death, his brother practically distanced himself from his only brother, and Kyuhyun was left to pick up the pieces alone.

                But not all the pieces had been put together.

                Then he heard Donghae knocking again. “Kyu-ah,” Donghae called out, the nickname making Kyuhyun still in shock.

                Only his childhood friend called him that.

                “Kyu-ah, open the door, please,” the older man continued to plead. “Please, just open it.”

                Kyuhyun stared at the door for a moment longer before finally deciding to get off of the couch. With heavy footsteps, he walked over to it, steps hesitant the closer he got to the door. Placing his hand on the doorknob, he opened it, for once not caring about how Donghae would see him. If Donghae was truly his childhood friend, then Kyuhyun had no reason to worry.

                That little boy was the only person Kyuhyun ever trusted.

                “Kyuhyun,” Donghae breathed out upon seeing the younger man’s appearance. He hesitated for a moment before wrapping his arms around Kyuhyun. “It’s okay.”

                Feeling his tears spill out even more, Kyuhyun couldn’t help but cling to Donghae. He sobbed a little, faintly feeling Donghae push him back a little bit so that he could enter, closing the door behind him. Kyuhyun could only follow Donghae when the older man led him back to the living room. Not even bothering to fight against him, Kyuhyun continued to cling onto him, finally feeling as if he found the comfort he had been longing for.

                His hands clutched at the fabric of Donghae’s shirt, whimpering even more when he felt the older man softly stroke his hair. The sensation it brought him was unfamiliar, but it brought such a pleasant feeling Kyuhyun hadn’t felt in such a long time.

                “It’s okay,” he heard Donghae whisper. “I’m here. I won’t leave you.”

                The last thing Kyuhyun remembered was feeling Donghae’s warmth as he slipped into unconsciousness.

\---

                _You put a spell on him._

                Pressing his lips together, Donghae ignored the voice in order to settle Kyuhyun in his bed, the younger refusing to let go of him. It took him a few tries before he finally managed to pry his hands off of him, gently settling him into a more comfortable position. He smiled slightly at the younger male, brushing his thumb against his cheek. Pressing a kiss against his forehead, Donghae carefully slipped out of his bedroom without waking him up.

                Once he was alone, Donghae let out an annoyed sigh, looking over at the couch where he saw a figure start to take shape. Leaning against the wall, he held his tongue as the figure finally revealed itself as a young female, approximately around Donghae’s age.

                “What are you doing here, Sunny?” Donghae finally asked once her form became solid enough for him to see and sense.

                Sunny sent him a smile. “I can’t come visit you, Oppa?”

                “You usually don’t leave the comforts of your cottage.”

                “Yes, well, I’ve sensed something amiss, and decided to go see myself about what was going on,” she told him, her voice kind. “You put a spell on him.”

                Donghae frowned, crossing his arms across his chest. “I had no choice. He was immersing himself in his memories, and I had to do something to prevent him from escalating into despair.”

                The younger tilted her head at him, studying him quietly.

                It made Donghae twitch.

                Sunny smiled brightly. “You’re so kind, Oppa. Though, I’m afraid that kindness of yours would be something others would take advantage of. You and I both know that he’s already biding his time.”

                “Did you really come here to talk to me about him?” Donghae wondered, finally moving away from his spot beside the wall in order to walk over to the couch, sitting next to her.

                “Yes and no. I’m worried that what you’re doing is proving to be detrimental, Oppa. He’s getting there, but it’s a slow process. What if he doesn’t believe in time?”

                Donghae shook his head. “He will,” he said firmly. “I’ll make sure of it.”

                “Not even you can make miracles happen, Oppa,” Sunny whispered. “We may live in a world where the impossible is possible, but that is due to how we live. He’s different.”

                “I know that.”

                Sunny pressed her lips together. “Then why do you insist on this?”

                “Because if he doesn’t believe, then I have no point in living anymore.”

                Sunny tilted her head to the side. “He knows.”

                Donghae’s face tightened. “I know he does,” he muttered. “He encountered him at the party Minho threw.”

                “Yet you still continue to be adamant about this.”

                “He knows about Kyuhyun now,” the older pointed out, “which means he’ll start to make his move.”

                “If he already hasn’t.”  
\---

                The idea of mortals never suited well with Yunho. Though he had mingled with them for centuries, the concept of actually becoming a mortal was disgusting to him. He never understood the fascination his kind had with these lower beings, but he never questioned them either. The others were not his to control and so, he left them alone. There was only one person he was interested in and that person was the only exception to all of his rules.

                As he walked through the masses of people on the street, he finally arrived at the building where he was supposed to be. Slipping inside of the building, Yunho fixed his coat, brushing the snow off of the material. Breathing in the warmth the building provided, he headed further inside, seeing the people around him slowly edging away.

                The sight of it made him smirk.

                He managed to make it inside of the elevator, smiling at the startled look that painted on the passenger’s face. “Hello.”

                “You…” the male before him whispered in disbelief, eyes wide.

                “It’s been a long time, Sungmin-ah.”

                Sungmin pursed his lips together, staring at Yunho whilst the elevator doors slid close, successfully entrapping the two of them.

                Yunho flicked his wrist, keeping his eyes on Sungmin as the elevator screeched to a stop, coming to a standstill as vines crept in from the corners, curling around the edges. The air in the elevator gradually grew colder and denser, and as he continued to stare at the older man, who visibly grew uncomfortable under the scrutiny.

                “What do you want?” Sungmin finally asked, having enough of the thick silence.

                Yunho smiled. “I came to talk to you.”

                “About what?”

                “You already know what, my dear friend,” the younger male said calmly. “Where is he? Where are they?’

                Sungmin pressed his lips together, staring defiantly at him.

                The sight of it amused Yunho, who merely chuckled at the older man’s expression. “Come on now. You really think that I would stop pursuing them after all these years?”

                “You should,” Sungmin finally said. “It was because of you that Tiffany has fallen into slumber and Donghae has to struggle to remain in existence.”

                Yunho smiled. “What can I say? It’s not exactly my fault that this happened to them. They were the ones who refused to obey me, going off on their own into this realm and allowing themselves to mingle with the mortals.”

                “As much as you hate to hear this, Yunho, but you do not tell us what to do,” Sungmin told him firmly. “Should the Queen discover this, she will have your head.”

                The smile on Yunho’s face widened into a grin, looking obviously pleased at getting some sort of hostile emotion from the older male. “If she wanted my head, she would have done so already,” he pointed out, “which means she’s allowing me to do whatever I want.”

                Sungmin snorted. “As long as it’s within boundaries.”

                “You think this isn’t in boundaries?”

                “No,” the older declared. “You’re using magic, and affecting the mortals. You know the Queen disapproves of using our magic.”

                Yunho tilted his head, a picture of innocence. “Yet you seem to allow Donghae to use his magic. I wonder why that is. Is it because you feel sorry for him?”

                “He knows his limits. He knows better than to allow himself to use so magic whilst being in this realm.”

                “Oh, really now?”

                Sungmin’s eyes flashed gold briefly, causing Yunho to reel back slightly as the vines that were starting to creep down the walls of the elevator began to burn, turning into ash.

                It was that power that Yunho forgot the older male had, remembering that Sungmin was no easy opponent. He never was.

                “His powers are starting to get harder for him to control because Kyuhyun’s belief in him is fading,” Sungmin explained, his eyes returning to its original warm brown color.

                “Which is why I need to help him,” Yunho tried. “Both of them.”

                Sungmin snorted. “Next time, try to say that in a more convincing manner. Otherwise, I’ll be sure to step in and make sure that you never get a chance in hell to ever try any of your shit again.”

                “My, my, what tongue you have,” the younger male muttered, finally deciding to release his spell. He felt the air begin to clear up, making it seem cleaner and fresher. At seeing the expression on Sungmin’s face shift slightly, he felt himself relax, knowing that the older male wouldn’t attempt to try to attack him now.

                Despite how he acted, Yunho knew better than to do anything to cause Sungmin to attack him.

                Sungmin was a cohort of the Queen, after all.

                As the elevator began moving away, Yunho politely stepped to the side, earning a wary look from his companion. He kept the smile on his face amiable, but refused to look at the older male. For now, he had other matters to worry about and the only way for him to do so was to prevent from getting Sungmin mad – or suspicious. If he wanted to make sure everything continued the way he wanted to, he’d have to prevent any suspicions from arousing further lest he truly face the consequences.

\---

                _Kyuhyun found himself standing in a field of endless white snow, shuddering at the chill that brushed against his skin. He wrapped his arms around himself in a hug in an attempt for warmth, gradually beginning his trek. Though he didn’t know exactly where he was supposed to go, his feet continued to move for him._

_Peering up, he was met with an endless night sky, stretching on for miles. If it weren’t for the fact that he seemed to be lost, he would have admired the beauty of it all. There was nothing but pure sincerity in the air, a wondrous beauty that took his breath away. If he could, he would paint it; keep it forever imprinted in his memory. The more he gazed around, the more he was in awe._

_Then he paused._

_It looked like a scene from a fairytale._

_Kyuhyun forced his feet to stop moving, his mind quickly trying to work out the connections. This was a scene his mother once described to him in one of the stories she told him – a scene wherein it was the beginning scene of the story of a boy born in the winter night, bringing stars into the sky and brightening up the darkness. He remembered hearing that the boy was to be a prince, only to be sent away from the Queen as she wanted to rule instead._

_The Queen was cold, cruel. Her heart was made of ice._

_That sent Kyuhyun running, his harsh breathing becoming visible in the cold, dense air as he struggled to make his way to the palace._

_But what he saw wasn’t what he was expecting._

_The palace of ice and snow was there at the end, but to Kyuhyun’s shock, there was a forest of thorns surrounding the palace. The sight of it horrified Kyuhyun, making him fear for whatever could be happening the castle._

_But before he could even do anything, a wail echoed in the sky, causing his stomach to drop._

Jerking awake, Kyuhyun gasped for air, body trembling. He shakily pulled himself up into a sitting position, only to freeze when he realized there was someone in bed with him. Startled, Kyuhyun looked over and noticed Donghae sleeping beside him. Staring at the older male for a moment, he slowly felt himself begin to relax, shimmering down to lie down again.

                He allowed himself to stare at Donghae’s face, ignoring the fact how creepy it was to stare at someone whilst they were asleep. But it was the first time he had ever shared a bed with someone in a long time. The feeling it gave him was almost surreal, making him feel just the slightest bit uncomfortable at the sensation it gave him. However, as he continued to stare at Donghae’s face, the more he slowly grew more comfortable with the older man’s presence.

                _Do you think it is okay for you to be with him?_

Kyuhyun stilled at the unexpected voice in his head, sitting up slightly in order to scan the room. When he saw nothing, he reluctantly settled down again, squirming slightly closer to Donghae.

                _He is still someone who should not be with you. Do not mistake his kindness for anything else._

The words had taken a chill in Kyuhyun’s heart, bringing a sort of ache that had him biting his tongue.

                _You do not belong with him. You are a creature who does not deserve his kindness._

“Don’t listen to him.”

                At hearing Donghae’s voice, Kyuhyun jolted, looking up to see Donghae peering down at him with half-lidded eyes.

                “Don’t listen to that voice,” Donghae continued even with his voice heavy with sleep even as he curled an arm around Kyuhyun’s waist and brought him closer. “Just close your eyes, think of happy memories, and ignore it. Don’t let it fool you.”

                Kyuhyun began to shake. “But…how did you…”

                “I’m here to help you, and not just in the ways of love,” he heard the older man whisper. “Just learn to believe in me, okay?”

                “But how can I learn to believe in you when you haven’t really given me a reason to?”

                A faint smile graced Donghae’s lips as he gazed down at Kyuhyun with a fond gaze. “Because you’ve always trusted me, even when you’ve always thought you could trust no one else.”

                “What are you saying?”

                “Fairytales can become your greatest friends if you believe in them,” Donghae told him softly. “As long as you believe, as long you continue to trust me, then I can help you out.”

                Kyuhyun shuddered. “But…if not…?”

                “Then I can’t. You’re the only person I’d ever risk myself for,” the older male said, his voice slowly turning into a whisper as he slowly descended back to slumber.

               For a moment, Kyuhyun stayed awake, staring at his current bed companion. He was confused by his words, unsure what they were supposed to mean. However, the puzzles slowly started to piece itself together and it made him jerk away from shock.

                _Everything that occurs happens for a reason._

_If you choose to stick by this man, then you must be prepared for the fate that will follow._

_This male will be the only person you will ever need, and perhaps the only person you will ever trust. But do not mistake it for anything more._

_He was created for your sake, and if you betray him, only he will pay the consequences._

Kyuhyun tried to ignore the words in his head, but the more they came, the more he couldn’t erase the feeling that somehow he’d end up messing everything up when it came down to it.


	7. Chapter 7

Days after Kyuhyun’s episode, he and Donghae found themselves gradually growing closer with one another. The process was slow, but Kyuhyun was learning to depend on the older male and Donghae never ventured far from him either. They never talked about Kyuhyun’s breakdown or about what Donghae said when he was still half-asleep. Their relationship hadn’t progressed that much yet, but they had grown comfortable around one another that the older male began to stay some nights at Kyuhyun’s apartment.

                It was rather hard to refuse the younger when he would call Donghae in the middle of the night, pleading with him in a shaken voice to come over after waking up from a nightmare.

                Donghae leaned against the wall as he watched Kyuhyun attempt to rewrite the scene in the novel, giving him some tips and stories about Tiffany – the girl who loved so passionately that it caused her to fall into a coma. He found it comforting to watch the younger male at work, finding it endearing to see him so immersed in his writings that he hardly paid attention to what was around him.

                But a glance down at his hand had him clenching it into a fist, trying to hold himself together.

                Despite how close he and Kyuhyun had gotten, Donghae still hadn’t been able to get the younger male to truly believe in fairy tales. Kyuhyun seemed to hold some sort of grudge against them, even though he knew exactly what triggered it. Donghae wanted to help him try to get over it, but he didn’t think the younger man would be so difficult to convince.

                And he surely can’t reveal his secret to him either until Kyuhyun started to believe again.

                “Donghae?”

                Looking up, Donghae smiled slightly when he saw Kyuhyun gazing at him curiously. “Hmm? What is it, Kyu?”

                “Can we go out?” the younger man requested. “Being holed up in my apartment is finally starting to get to me.”

                Donghae snorted, pushing away from the wall. “You’re the one who decided he couldn’t leave the apartment until you finally figure out how to write that scene of yours.”

                “I didn’t think it’d be this hard!”

                Sighing, the older man shook his head. “Come on then. Maybe some fresh air would really do you some good.”

                Donghae almost wanted to laugh at the way Kyuhyun’s face brightened up, resembling much more of the child he used to be. Without waiting for Kyuhyun, knowing the younger male would still take a while to get ready, Donghae headed back outside into the living room, immediately searching for his jacket.

                _It’s good to see you, Donghae._

Pausing in his actions, he held back a sigh and turned his head to see a raven perched on the window sill. He held back a groan of frustration, crossing his arms whilst waiting for Kyuhyun to come. “What now?”

                _I merely came to visit you, dear brother._

Donghae shook his head, glancing over at the room where Kyuhyun was. He watched it anxiously, hoping that the younger man wouldn’t come out right now. The last thing he wanted to do was to try to explain to him about why he was talking to a raven of all things, not knowing how to exactly explain to him about their world.

                _Donghae._

“What do you want, Hyuk?” Donghae breathed out. “I don’t have time for this.”

                The raven ruffled its feathers. _Come now, Hae. I wish to speak to you. It has been a conversation long overdue._

“Then can’t you talk to me later? I don’t have time for this right now. Not when—”

                _Right now, you need to be careful. Yunho knows that you’re still out there somewhere and he will do whatever he can to find you and Tiffany._

Donghae clicked his tongue. “Still?”

                _That’s not all,_ Hyukjae continued. _He knows about the boy you’re so taken with._

Dread filled Donghae’s entire body, his mouth going dry at the realization. If what Hyukjae had told him was true, then that meant Yunho was bound to make his move soon. But before he could question Hyukjae further, the raven had already lifted his wings and flew away, leaving no trace of himself behind.

                Donghae cursed under his breath.

                “Hae?”

                Jerking a little in surprise, Donghae turned around to see Kyuhyun walking over to him, curiosity painting his face.

                “Is everything okay?” Kyuhyun asked.

                Donghae swallowed and managed a smile. “Everything’s fine. Now, let’s go.”

\---

                “You want me to do what now?”

                _“Attack Donghae and his friend. I know for a fact that Donghae will do just about anything to protect him, even if it means revealing his true self.”_

Frowning slightly as she stepped into the elevator, Victoria placed a hand on her hip as she pressed the button going down to the ground floor. As the elevator doors shut, she asked, “And why start now? Do you have any idea how much of a risk I’m being forced to take here? This is Donghae we’re talking about!”

                The voice on the other end huffed. _“Because it’s time, and we both know that Donghae’s limit is reaching its point, however slowly. Besides…”_ And here Victoria could practically hear the male smile. _“Wouldn’t it be fun to find out just how far Donghae can go before he finally snaps back to his real self?”_

Sighing softly, Victoria stepped out of the elevator once it reached the ground floor, ignoring the curious gazes that were directed at her.

                “This is something that is too dangerous to do,” Victoria noted as she finally exited the building. “But I suppose a little fun wouldn’t hurt, so long as Donghae doesn’t come after me, anyway. The last thing I want is for a pissed off Donghae coming after me and freeze my ass of just because I decided to play with the big kids.”

                She heard laughter at the other end, making her no less comfortable with the impending situation at hand.

                _“Oh, don’t worry about that. If there’s anyone he’s going to get mad at, it’s me. Anyway, just do things according to plan. It wouldn’t do now if the entire city of Seoul gets buried under snow, would it?”_

Before Victoria could even get a chance to retort, the other person hung up, causing her to scoff. She placed the cellphone into her pocket and made her way towards the end of the street where she could feel a certain ping directing her where Donghae was.

                She could already feel the air around her getting colder, almost making her want to stop in her tracks.

                The last time she had encountered Donghae, it ended badly on her end. Never before had she ever encountered a man who could have been more detrimental to himself than to others, but he had proven her wrong. His powers were strong – almost as powerful as the Queen’s – and it actually scared her.

                Her back still had evidence of their last encounter.

                _“Are you sure you want to play this game, Victoria?”_

At hearing the familiar voice in her head, Victoria frowned slightly, keeping her gaze forward. She said, “It’s something I’m curious about. It has been a long time since he and I have gone head to head with each other, especially considering how much I’ve fared last time.”

                She heard the voice scoff. _“You and I both know that if you go against him, you will lose.”_

“You never know. I might just win this time.”

                _“Then we shall see when it really happens.”_

Feeling the voice’s presence disappear, Victoria breathed out in relief. She didn’t want to have to deal with that person at the moment, knowing it would only make her hesitate even more.

                Victoria took a deep breath, already feeling her powers beginning to stir within her. When she finally reached her destination, she flicked her wrists, watching as the area around her began to become affected by her power – the ground began to shake, the snow ceased from falling, and all of the glass became frosted over.

                _“Go.”_

\---

                It was cold.

                That was the first thing Kyuhyun noticed upon reaching consciousness.

                As he pried his eyes open, he was startled to find himself lying on a field of white snow, the winds howling above him. He tried to push himself off the ground, but found that his limbs were practically frozen to the ground. Panic immediately hit, causing him to hyperventilate whilst he tried to understand his current situation.

                However, his mind only drew up blanks, causing him to panic even more.

                He tried to remember what happened last, only to recall waiting for Donghae to come out of the store just as winds began to howl above him. With a deep breath, he tried to keep himself from panicking, trying to stay sane.

                “So, you’re the one who’s captured his heart,” a voice said, prompting him to try to lift his head to see who was talking to him. But he could only gasp out painfully as a foot landed in the middle of his back, pressing down at the base of his spine. “How pathetic. I would have expected more from my teacher.”

                “W-Who  are you?” Kyuhyun demanded hoarsely, trying his best to ignore the pain.

                The voice laughed and he recognized it to be a female’s voice, the sound resembling more like bell chimes this time. “I’m Victoria, a friend of Donghae’s. And I’m here to check out just exactly this _Cho Kyuhyun_ is.”

                “And what did you expect?”

                Victoria pressed harder against his back, causing him to choke out. “I never expected that the Cho Kyuhyun he was so enamored with turn out to be the same brat he had watched over for the past decades.”

                “What?”

                “Oh, so he’s never told you,” Victoria mused, finally releasing Kyuhyun. “You see, it’s rather old – or, probably not that old considering how old both of you are, but old nonetheless. Shall I tell you the story of how a fairytale came to life?”

                Kyuhyun scowled. “Fairytales aren’t real.”

                He heard her laugh and somehow, it sent chills down his spine, causing him to ignore the iciness of his surroundings. It sounded menacing, haunting – and that said a lot considering how he never allowed himself to feel any sort of fear after his mother’s death. Even now, despite his current situation, he wasn’t afraid of it. But _her_ – her laugh – made him want to curl up and hide, desperately praying for someone to come and save him.

                Just like how he had prayed that someone would come and wake him up from the nightmare of his mother being dead.

                “Oh, how naïve of you,” Victoria whispered, crouching down a bit to his level. “You really are stupid.”

                “What are you—”

                “Fairytales are real,” she interjected, cutting him off. “You see, Kyuhyun-ssi, fairytales are stories of life. We exist; we just don’t like to mingle with mortals, even though it was due to mortals that we were given life. But, you see, it began to change over time.”

                There was a pause.

                “And it all began with your mother.”

                Kyuhyun froze, eyes widening imperceptibly.

                Smiling as soon as she knew she caught his attention, Victoria stood up and made a vague hand gesture, watching as Kyuhyun began to rise into the air while mist wrapped around his limbs and suspended him in air.

                “It all started with her and it will end with you,” she continued, smiling wider at the way Kyuhyun’s eyes were solely fixated on her. “You see, when your mother was just a babe, she held an unusual power – the power to bring her stories to life.”

                Kyuhyun began to shake, the story sounding familiar to him. It was like a washed off memory, buried within the depths of his mind that he struggled to bring out again. “You’re lying. There’s no such thing as powers.”

                “Then what do you call your situation right now?” Victoria retorted. “But continuing on; your mother was a very rare breed who had that talent. Other writers, of course, bore the same unique power, but not as strong as hers. Take the Grimm Brothers, for example. They fostered fairytales, shifted them from their origins, but their power remained true. It was like building a foundation for us to exist on. Then came along your mother who was greatly fascinated by fairytales so much that every time she read a story, she would be taken to that world – and her power only grew stronger.”

                _“Umma, what is that?”_

_Jerking in surprise, Mrs. Cho spun around to see her youngest son entering the room, a curious look masking his face. She began to hesitate as she spared a glance at the wolf standing beside her, its dark eyes fixed on her child. Placing a hand on top of its head, she felt it slowly relax._

_Kyuhyun watched curiously as his mother whispered something to the wolf, remaining still even as the beast began to walk closer to him._

_“Umma?” Kyuhyun whispered, feeling scared of the menacing beast._

_His mother shot him a reassuring smile. “Don’t worry, Kyuhyun. He will not hurt you.”_

_“It is a pleasure to meet the Queen’s son,” the wolf said, startling the young child greatly when he heard a deep voice in his mind. “I am Kangin and I come from the story of Little Red Riding Hood.”_

“But then a miracle happened,” Victoria's voice cut through Kyuhyun’s thoughts, bringing him back to his current reality. “She gave birth to a child who held the same powers as hers, but even stronger. Your mother knew and was afraid, so she created someone – _something_ – and it took much of her powers already.”

                “She did what?” Kyuhyun asked, his voice a mere whisper.

                Victoria smiled. “You heard me, Kyuhyun-ssi. Your mother created a fairytale character to help steady the balance of that child’s powers. If the child handled it himself, he would have died, so she created this character – this boy. What she didn’t realize that for creating her own story, she had to pay the consequences.”

                At seeing his confused look, she laughed. “Oh, come now, you really think fairytales are really happy? They’re morbid, twisted, and vile. That’s their true nature; there’s no such thing as happy endings – not without some devastating repercussions.”

                “What…what are you talking about?”

                Shaking her head at him, Victoria stared at the mortal for a moment before she chuckled. “You really do not know?” she whispered. “In the fairytale of Snow White, the evil queen was forced to dance to death while wearing hot iron shoes. In Cinderella, the evil stepsisters’ eyes were plucked out by birds. You see, it’s a pattern of darkness at the cost of a happy ending.”

                Kyuhyun could only tremble as her words began to piece itself together in his head, making him slowly realize just what it was she was trying to get to. He remembered seeing his mother’s fatigue, the way her life was slowly drained from her. As a child, he simply thought she was tired, ill, and found himself hanging out with a young Lee Donghae.

                Not once did he ever think about why his mother had suddenly gone ill when she looked as healthy as ever.

                “And this character’s name, the one she _died_ for was none other than—”

                “Enough.”

                Kyuhyun felt his body drop down as the mist that had been circling around his limbs disappeared, watching in shock as Victoria was blown back from him. He felt himself tremble, looking up to see Donghae suddenly standing in front of him, but he sensed something different from the older man.

                The white-blue mist surrounding the older man did nothing to help.

                “Oh, so you’re here, Donghae?” Victoria coughed out, slowly getting up. “And here I was just getting to the good part.”

                Donghae snarled at her. “You have crossed a line, Victoria.”

                “Not at all; I think I’m doing your _toy_ a favor by telling him the truth about his mother’s death.”

                “He doesn’t need to know that!”

                “That’s just too bad then.” Victoria smiled. “But it’s also too late.”

                Donghae snarled deeply, and Kyuhyun flinched as the temperature suddenly dropped, feeling his skin itch. But he could only stay still as Donghae turned to face him, immediately adopting a look of concern as he inspected him for injuries.

                “Are you hurt?” Donghae asked.

                Kyuhyun didn’t say anything for a moment, staring at Donghae’s face. He couldn’t even care about the fact that Victoria was watching them, waiting to see what would happen. All he could think about was what Victoria told him, about the lies that he was told from the beginning.

                “You?” Kyuhyun managed out, startling Donghae as he finally pulled away from the younger man. “You…you were the one who killed my mother?”

                Donghae stilled, eyes widening. “What?”

                “You’re the one who made her sick. You’re the one who killed her.”

                “Kyuhyun, you’re—”

                “I’m not!” Kyuhyun yelled, startling the older man. “This whole talk of fairytales…this whole idea of love…you’re a liar! You were the reason why my mother died!”

                There was a fear within Kyuhyun’s chest as he continued to stare at Donghae. He was hoping the older man would continue to deny what he was trying to accuse him of, to tell him that what Victoria told him was a lie. But in his heart, he knew the truth.

                And the guilty shine in Donghae’s eyes did nothing to help ease that.

                “Kyuhyun, listen, I—”

                The older man was cut off when they felt the ground shake, beginning to crack apart. Panic immediately masked his face, and he reached out to grab Kyuhyun who only shied away from him.

                “Kyuhyun!”

                “Stay away,” Kyuhyun whispered, staring right into Donghae’s eyes. “Stay away. Stay away from me!”

                Getting to his feet, Donghae looked around as the ground continued to break up even more. He took a step forward. “Kyuhyun, please listen—”

                Kyuhyun shook his head, eyes developing an eerie glow. “Stay away. Just stay away!”

                He didn’t even budge as the ground cracked up even more, breaking away completely and his world faded into darkness.

\---

                “—hyun? Kyuhyun!”

                Jerking awake, Kyuhyun was startled to find out that he was lying on a bed, a concerned Sungmin hovering above him. For a moment, he laid there, blinking owlishly.

                “Oh, thank God,” he heard Sungmin breathe out. “Are you okay? You surprised us by suddenly fainting like that. Donghae nearly had a heart attack.”

                At the mention of the man, Kyuhyun felt something cold take hold of his heart. He looked around wildly, seeing Donghae standing off to the side, a pained expression masking his face. By that alone, he knew that everything he had witnessed wasn’t a lie.

                Donghae was a liar.

                He was the reason why his mother was dead.

                He could faintly hear Sungmin say something to him, but all he could focus was on Donghae, focus on the guilty expression that now painted his face.

                “Get out.” The words were rushed, barely heard, but it was enough to get Sungmin to stop talking and Donghae to look frightened.

                “Kyuhyun, please,” Donghae began, taking a step forward, but stopped upon seeing Kyuhyun tremble.

                Kyuhyun clutched the sheet that was covering him tightly until his knuckles began to turn white, staring hard at the older man even though he knew Sungmin was watching both of them in confusion. “Get out.”

                Shaking his head, Donghae hesitantly took another step closer. “Please, just listen. I—”

                “Get out!” the youngest male in the room finally screamed. “Get out! I don’t want to see you! You took her away from me! You’re the cause of it all!”

                “Kyu—”

                “Leave!”

                A short pause before Donghae finally obliged, lowering his head as he hurried out of the room.

                Once he was gone, Kyuhyun can feel tears fall from his eyes, a sob escaping from him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Long overdue, but I hope you guys enjoyed it! Sorry for the delayed update. Momentarily lost my motivation for this, but I got it back!


	8. Chapter 8

_He could feel himself start to cry as he watched the young boy be carried off, disappearing behind the icy castle walls. No matter how much he tried, Kyuhyun couldn’t reach him, and the guilt was starting to eat at him. It was painful watching the boy be carried away; he was just in his grasp and then he was gone, slipping through his fingers like mist._

_Kyuhyun could hear the voices around him accusing him of letting the boy be captured – to be handed off to the villains._

_He wanted to deny it, he wanted to argue that it wasn’t his choice, but he knew that it was._

_No matter how he looked at it, he knew it was his fault._

_From the very beginning, it was his fault._

_And he couldn’t do anything about it anymore._

                Three days.

                It had been three days since Kyuhyun had last seen Donghae. Three days since he had last had contact with him. And it was those three days that Kyuhyun’s life had taken a turn for the worst. He hadn’t even thought that there could have been so much bad luck in just three days that caused him to have to stay home and curl up on bed.

                It was as if life itself was getting back at him for yelling at Donghae.

                Kyuhyun curled up on his bed, almost groaning as his head pounded for the umpteenth time that morning. He knew it was a bad idea to go out for the past three nights drinking, but he needed something to get rid of the emptiness lingering in his chest. Sungmin had to haul his ass home from the clubs night after night before finally having to practically move into Kyuhyun’s apartment.

                Despite the younger finding it to be annoying, he was grateful for the older man’s presence. Sungmin was the only person who was keeping him grounded and not completely lose himself like he first did when his mother died.

                At the memory of his mother’s death, Kyuhyun shut his eyes, trying to will those painful memories away.

                _Kyuhyun could feel the darkness eating away at him, clawing at his skin through his clothes. His throat felt constricted, making it difficult for him to breathe._

_The darkness was suffocating._

_And then he felt warmth enveloping him, getting rid of the cold darkness that had been surrounding him._

_When he looked up, he saw a child with innocent-looking eyes, smiling at him so brightly, Kyuhyun felt his pain over the loss of his mother disappear._

_He felt safe._

Kyuhyun flinched at the memory, shoving it away as it greatly reminded him of Donghae.

                Shuddering, he buried himself deeper within his covers, trying to find peace again. It hadn’t bothered him so much before about being alone, but now it did. That part of him changed when Donghae entered his life and Kyuhyun cursed at the older man for it.

                He enjoyed his life of solitude – Donghae had completely ruined it.

                “Kyuhyun, get your lazy ass up!”

                Kyuhyun groaned when he was rolled off the bed, his back hitting the hard floor, the pain only minimizing thanks to the amount of blanket he had around him. Letting out a whine of pain, he peeked out from his safety blanket, meeting Sungmin’s glare. At seeing it, he began to hide his head within the blanket like a turtle hiding in its shell before he felt something grip onto the edge of it.

                “No, you can’t make me!” Kyuhyun protested, clinging onto the blanket as if it was his lifeline even as Sungmin gave it a harsh tug.

                He grunted when he was finally freed from his soft cage, rolling onto his front in a vain attempt of being rebellious.

                Sungmin clicked his tongue. “Oh, get up, you lazy ass. You made Donghae leave, now you’re just going to mope? I’m not gonna stand for that.”

                “I knew it was a mistake giving you a copy of my key,” Kyuhyun mumbled, voice muffled from where his face was still pressed against the floor.

                He heard the older man snort before a foot nudged his side, causing him to whine. “Get up already and get washed up. I am not going to let you just waste your life away like this. Don’t you have something worth going on for?”

                “No.”

                “Oh, don’t be such a pathetic twat,” Sungmin scolded before nudging him again. “Either you get up willingly or I’ll drag you out here myself – and we both know that won’t be pleasant for one of us.”

                There was a moment of silence before Kyuhyun finally relented, prying himself off the floor and onto his feet, looking at Sungmin disapprovingly.

                Sungmin just shrugged. “Up.”

                Kyuhyun merely whined, watching sulkily as Sungmin finally left his room. Wanting to groan at his life, he reluctantly headed to the bathroom, dragging his feet across the hard-tiled floor.

                It took roughly an hour later before Kyuhyun was forcibly dragged out of his apartment, looking fresh and cleaned after days of being unsanitary. Seeing him out in the halls again actually caused his neighbor to faint in shock, prompting snickers from Sungmin and an even moodier Kyuhyun.

                “I told you I should’ve just stayed inside,” Kyuhyun complained when he was forced into the passenger’s seat of Sungmin’s car.

                The older man snorted, sliding into the driver’s seat and slid the key into the ignition, starting the car. “I’m not going to let you waste your life away just because you were the one who forced Donghae out of your life.”

                At the reminder of what he did three days ago, the writer slumped in his seat, causing Sungmin to shake his head at how much he resembled a child right then.

                Kyuhyun knew what he did was wrong, that he was being too irrational, but he couldn’t help it.

                He missed Donghae, but he refused to admit it.

                “Where are you even taking me?” Kyuhyun demanded once he realized they had ended up going onto the highway, turning to look at the older man with a furious look. However, upon seeing the dark look his friend was giving him, he pouted and settled down again, arms crossed over his chest.

                Sungmin made a sound, not even bothering to spare him a glance. “I am taking you to Mokpo.”

                “What? Why?”

                “Because there’s something you need to see,” came the vague answer, causing Kyuhyun to whine even more at his misfortune. “Just enjoy the sights or something.”

                Kyuhyun made a face. “Wouldn’t it be much better to simply take the plane to Mokpo? It’s a long drive, you know.”

                “Just enjoy the ride, Kyuhyun.”

                Despite wanting to argue even more, the younger man could only relent, nodding as he leaned back against the seat, deciding to simply settle since he knew Sungmin wouldn’t give him anymore answers.

                Not for now, anyway.

\---

                _“I’m en route to the rendezvous point. I’ll see you there.”_

Agreeing quietly, Hyukjae hung up and leaned back against his chair, lazily spinning his phone by the edges.

                It had taken much persuading for him to switch out from his raven form to a human one, though he did appreciate being able to walk on two legs again after so long. Simply another miracle succeeded by his brother, but Hyukjae knew that the miracle would not last long – not when a certain male in question was in doubt.

                But Hyukjae had faith – he had to.

                Placing his cell phone on the desk, he stood up from his seat and walked out of his office, ignoring the coos of admiration he received from his employees. He stalked down the halls of the building, only having one destination in mind as his worries slowly began to consume him. It had only been three days since the male returned to his side, but Hyukjae could sense that his energy was draining from him.

                And he cursed at Kyuhyun for causing him to become like that.

                Gently opening the door and sliding inside, Hyukjae’s eyes settled on the young man lying on the couch, seemingly in deep sleep. He released the breath he hadn’t realized he was holding, shutting the door behind him and clicking the lock in place. With quiet steps, he grabbed the only other chair in the room and sat down on it, keeping his eyes focused on Donghae, who continued to remain unaware of his presence in the room.

                Hyukjae frowned slightly, his eyes glowing a light hue of green as he carefully inspected his brother’s body. There was no real physical damage done to him – Donghae’s own powers had taken care of it – but he could still sense the emotional damage done to the younger man. The protective flare in him was strong, but he also knew Donghae needed to be on his own during this process.

                He nearly lunged forward when he saw his brother’s form slowly disappear before becoming solid again, causing him to nearly fall off his seat in relief.

                It was becoming so much more apparent now.

                Donghae was disappearing.

                Shaking his head, Hyukjae glanced off to the side when he felt another presence appear, witnessing as a mist appeared in the room. Not even bothering to say anything, he returned his gaze back to Donghae, his eyes glowing again faintly before it faded away.

                “They’re coming.”

                “Yes,” Hyukjae mumbled, leaning back against his seat. “But Donghae is not well enough to handle what may come our way.”

                A sigh before he felt the presence grow stronger, causing him to look over at her.

                She stared back with solemn eyes. “But time is running out, Hyukjae,” she told him softly. “How much longer can we hold on until Yunho finally gains the advantage he’s been waiting for?”

                Hyukjae clenched his jaw, looking back at Donghae. “He will not win.”

               “You don’t know that,” came the reluctant reply. “We both know that if Kyuhyun loses all faith in Donghae, then there is no more hope for us. He will—”

                “Do not even finish that sentence,” Hyukjae interjected strongly, hearing her inhale sharply at being interrupted. When there was a silence, he continued, “I have faith that Donghae would be able to convince Kyuhyun to believe in him – in what we are.”

                “Hyukjae…”

                “Leave, Sulli.”

                Hyukjae closed his eyes, feeling Sulli slowly disappear from the room. With a deep breath, he opened his eyes and stood up, grabbing a spare blanket from another couch and placed it over Donghae, gently brushing his bangs off to the side.

                As his eyes glowed briefly, he watched as a barrier erected itself around Donghae before disappearing, leaving him satisfied at his job. Making sure to tuck his brother in, Hyukjae spared him another glance and then slipped out of the room, locking it for good measure.

                He just needed to keep that faith going strong.

                If he didn’t, then he didn’t know what to do anymore.

\---

                Kyuhyun was pissed.

                He didn’t even remember falling asleep in the car, but when he woke up, he was floored to find himself in Tokyo of all places.

                How the hell did Sungmin even manage to take him there?!

                At the reminder of his friend, Kyuhyun slowly turned to face the male, earning a wide smile in response.

                “I hate you,” Kyuhyun told him, causing Sungmin to whine and pout.

                “Why?” the older man whined. “I took you on a vacation!”

                The younger raised an eyebrow, gesturing to the bustling city around them even at the peak of noon. “A vacation? This is kidnapping! You took me all the way to Tokyo! How the hell did you even manage to accomplish that without waking me up?!”

                Sungmin gave a shrug, grabbing Kyuhyun’s wrist and began tugging him down the street. “I have skills,” he said teasingly, earning a smack on the shoulder. “Come on. Let’s go find our hotel.”

                “I still hate you.”

                Rolling his eyes, Sungmin simply continued to drag him through the streets until eventually they eventually reached a grand hotel that had Kyuhyun gaping up at it in disbelief.

                “What the hell?”

                Sungmin grinned at him sheepishly. “Welcome to Imperial Hotel,” he told him cheerfully. “This is where we’re going to be staying.”

                The younger continued to gape. “How the hell did you manage to afford this?” Kyuhyun wondered even as Sungmin tugged him into the building, still struggling to understand just how his best friend could afford such a grand hotel like this. He was still awestruck as Sungmin checked into their hotel room, struck frozen as they took the elevator up to the Tower floors of the hotel.

                Once they were halfway up, Kyuhyun snapped out of his daze, spinning around to glare at his friend. “Tell me why we’re here and how you even managed to afford this hotel!”

                Rolling his eyes and sighing heavily, Sungmin gave a shrug. “Look, I wanted to bring you here because I figured you needed a vacation of some sort. As to how I managed to afford it, my friend helped me out and chipped in.”

                “But…how….why….”

                “Kyu, all you need to know is that you need to enjoy yourself, have fun, and not think about you-know-who,” the older man told him, causing Kyuhyun to sulk.

                When they finally arrived on the twenty-first floor of the building, Kyuhyun sulkily followed Sungmin out to go to their room. He just hoped that their room wouldn’t be as grand as the rest of the hotel, but considering exactly where they were, it was hard not to.

                All Kyuhyun wanted to do was kill his best friend.

\---

                “He’s in Japan?” Yunho repeated, his eyebrows furrowed as he looked over at Yuri, who nodded.

                Pushing herself off the wall, Yuri walked over to where Yunho stood, flicking her wrist as an image of Kyuhyun appeared in the glass window pane of the building. “Yes, right now. However, he’s with Sungmin-oppa, and we both know that it’s not best to get on his bad side, especially considering the damage you’ve done to strain the relationship between the boy and Donghae-oppa.”

                Yunho snorted, waving the image away as he looked out of the window, watching the people in the city below walk about. “It was necessary,” he said with a hum. “Right now, everything is according to plan.”

                The woman let out a hum, tilting her head to the side as she stared out of the window, a faraway look in her eyes. “But for how long?” she mused softly. “We both know that if we continue to drag this out any longer, the Queen will notice and get suspicious.”

                “Hence why it is time we start the next phase,” Yunho said, eyes glowing faintly as he watched the weather outside grow dark, grey clouds gathering together.

                Yuri watched as snowflakes began to fall, gradually freezing anything they passed on their way down. She shook her head slightly, taking a step back away from the window as she spun around in order to head to the door of the room.

                “So what would you like me to do?” she asked as soon as she approached the door.

                She heard Yunho chuckle softly. “Well, you’re the wicked sea witch, right? It’s time to see just what exactly you can do to prove your worth.”

                Fingers gripping the doorknob, Yuri didn’t bother giving a response as she left the room, immediately making her way down the hall and ignoring the way it gradually faded away from the hallway of a building to the streets of busy Tokyo. As she walked down the street, she could feel her powers crackling inside of her, waiting to be let out.

                As she slowly curled her fingers into a fist, Yuri thought about what she should do.

                She has allied herself with Yunho – a person everyone has deemed dangerous – in order to take back what was rightfully hers. The most purest soul in all of existence, yet it managed to slip through her grasp simply because the girl she had helped decided to kill herself instead of doing what she was told to do.

                And that was to kill her beloved prince.

                Yuri gritted her teeth, feeling herself slowly start to become annoyed again. As she felt the first drop of snow land on her, she peered up at the darkened sky.

                If Yunho wanted a show, he’d get it.

                And what better way to give him a show than to attack the one person he hated most?

\---

                _The familiar sound of a boy calling out his name caused him to wake up. He recognized the voice; it was the same one he heard many times in his sleep, desperately trying to get him to wake up._

_He wanted to; he desperately wanted to._

_But he just couldn’t open his eyes._

_No. That wasn’t true._

_He was awake. He just can’t answer back to the boy._

_Trapped inside of his own body, there was no way for him to respond to the world around him._

_All he knew was the darkness that plagued him, enveloping him entirely until it finally devoured his soul – his light finally fading away into nothingness._

_There was no place for love to enter._

_He was gone._

Donghae’s eyes snapped open as soon as he felt magic in the air.

                He quickly stood up, ignoring how dizzy he became from the sudden movement, and walked over to the windows, opening the blinds so that he could see the city better. Shock took over once he saw how snow was falling from the sky, but he knew it wasn’t natural snow.

                Magic – it was always magic.

                Breathing out, he placed a hand on the windowsill to steady himself as his dizziness grew stronger; a statement of how exhausted he felt these days after Kyuhyun pushed him away from his life. But Donghae could faintly detect his presence in Tokyo, alarming him greatly as he believed the younger would be safer back in Seoul.

                Despite wanting to meet the younger man again, Donghae knew he had to take care of the magic first before it took over the city and Kyuhyun became hurt in the process.

                Because Kyuhyun was his light – he can’t let that light fade away.


	9. Chapter 9

                 _“Do you remember when we first met?”_

_Tilting his head back, Donghae regarded Yuri, who looked back at him with the same kind of eyes she had given him when they had their first encounter. It was a long time ago, back when Donghae had just been created and Yuri was living out her fairytale. However, both of them found a kindred spirit within the other as they were both lost – they both had no one else to turn to. Yet, Donghae found that he could never bring himself to be truly close to Yuri, despite how alike they seemed._

_Yuri was a soul left with an ambition to follow._

_Donghae was a soul forgotten._

_He looked away, gazing back at the valley where he could see the Queen’s castle in the distance. It was tall, standing proud amidst the many valleys, and it shone in the sunlight like a beacon. No matter how many times he had gazed it, it still never failed to leave him breathless, awestruck by its beauty._

_But he could never set foot in it._

_“What about it?” he finally asked, lowering his gaze from the castle to where he could see the Forest of Thorns, faintly detecting a few people walking through it._

_Yuri hummed, following his gaze. “I recall sensing something about you. Something unusual enough for Yunho to want to care for you,” she told him._

_“Yunho has always been a strange case.”_

_“Yet his sight has always been on you – no one else,” she retorted, causing him to look at her. “Yunho is dangerous, we all know that. But I fear, Donghae, that you might have stepped into his little trap, just as I have.”_

_Donghae regarded her closely. “And what trap is this?”_

_“When we want something, he’d exploit it, making us become our own horrible monsters and cause light to fade from the world entirely.”_

_“I won’t let that happen,” Donghae remarked, looking away. “I will never let that happen.”_

_Yuri smiled. “Perhaps not you, but I am far too gone now.”_

                Kyuhyun stepped back as a blue light shot down in front of him, successfully barricading him from the sudden tentacle that was aiming for him. He could feel his body tremble in fear, barely feeling Sungmin grabbing him and pulling him back to safety as the tentacle struggled to be free.

                “Kyuhyun! Sungmin!”

                Spine snapping straight, Kyuhyun spun around in Sungmin’s hold to see Donghae sprinting over to them, the male’s eyes filled with concern as soon as he reached them. He could feel Sungmin relax a little.

                “Hae, you’ve made it,” Sungmin breathed out. “But are you sure you should be out here in your condition?”

                Donghae shook his head, face determined. “I need to handle this,” he told them firmly. “Hyung, you take Kyuhyun to safety. Get him inside quickly.”

                Despite feeling Sungmin nod, Kyuhyun focused his eyes on Donghae. There was something different about the male, he could tell, but he just couldn’t seem to focus on what it was. A fear crept inside his heart at the mere thought of Donghae staying behind to fight the strange woman attacking them, causing him to reach out to grab the man’s elbow, startling both him and Sungmin.

                “Don’t do it,” Kyuhyun hastily said, earning a surprised look from Donghae. “Don’t fight.”

                There was a flicker of emotion that passed through the male’s brown eyes before he smiled, placing a hand on Kyuhyun’s. “Kyuhyun, I’ll be fine. Now, go with Sungmin.”

                Kyuhyun shook his head furiously, tightening his hold on the male. “No.”

                He didn’t know what came over him, but he knew that Donghae couldn’t face the woman alone. Fear was creeping at him, crawling through every vein until it took over his body completely at the mere idea of his old friend fighting against someone so dangerous.

                “No.”

                Donghae looked hesitant, but then he saw the hesitation disappear from the male’s face, suddenly feeling himself being shoved back against Sungmin as another wall of ice blocked an incoming attack.

                “Donghae—”

                “Get Kyuhyun out of here,” Donghae ordered Sungmin, keeping his eyes forward as snakes formed of ice charged forward. He tapped his heel against the ground, watching the snakes shatter apart. “Go!”

                Kyuhyun shook his head, fighting against Sungmin as he felt the older man tug him away. The idea of Sungmin knowing what was going on appeared in his mind, but it flittered away just as quickly when he felt the winds suddenly grow stronger, howling as it began to swirl.

                “Shit,” he heard Sungmin cuss. “Donghae!”

                Looking up, Kyuhyun’s eyes widened upon seeing a huge, black hole appear in the sky, sucking up anything it could get. He breathed heavily, feeling his energy being drained out of him and felt darkness creeping into his vision just as he heard a loud howl erupt in the air.

\---

                _“He’s too young to understand.”_

_“He cannot be a part of that world.”_

_“The world will only kill him in the end.”_

                Donghae felt his lungs start to function again, causing him to choke and cough as he greedily inhaled precious oxygen. Prying his eyes open, he flinched at the sudden light dawning on him, causing him to close them back up again. He felt a searing pain from his abdomen, most likely from the attack Yuri had made just before they were all absorbed into that black hole.

                He tried to remember what exactly had happened, his eyebrows furrowed in thought, but then the pain grew and his breath hitched as he tried to ignore it. Eyes fluttering close as the pain worsened, he could feel hands grabbing at him, voices telling him to remain still and be calm. Panic struck him, rendering him breathless as the pain seized his lungs.

                “—Hae! Donghae!”

                Gasping loudly, Donghae blindly reached out until he found purchase on something stiff, his eyes flying open as the touch grounded him to reality.

                A hand against his cheek, the familiar warmth of magic flowing from the touch, caused him to slowly relax as his vision finally began to focus. He breathed slowly, eyes flitting upwards to the face of the person who was currently holding him.

                “H-Hyuk?” he stammered.

                Hyukjae breathed out in relief, carefully lifting him up so that it wouldn’t aggravate his injury. “You’re such an idiot, Hae.’

                Swallowing thickly, Donghae heard other voices reaching them, causing him to peer over Hyukjae’s shoulder to see Sungmin and Kyuhyun. Upon seeing the latter, he felt his breath hitch, panic striking as the thought of Kyuhyun being in their world and immediately felt Hyukjae soothe him.

                “Don’t worry,” Hyukjae whispered. “We’ll find a way to bring him back.”

                “Donghae!” Kyuhyun cried, immediately heading over to Donghae’s side.

                The ice magic user wanted to open his mouth and say something to ease Kyuhyun’s fears, to replace the worry in his eyes with happiness – even anger. Anything but the concern swallowed in those brown orbs.

                “We need to get him to Yoona,” Sungmin said as he stopped by their side. “Otherwise, he’ll end up dying of blood loss. Whatever Yuri did to him had his powers stopped.”

                Hyukjae cursed. “Of course it did. Hae, I need you to hang on, okay?”

                Donghae could only nod, breathing in shakily and felt a hand clinging onto his tightly. He glanced over, giving Kyuhyun a reassuring smile once he saw the panic in his eyes.

                “I’ll be fine,” he whispered. “So don’t worry.”

                Kyuhyun looked as if he didn’t believe him, but nodded, anyway.

                Smiling faintly, Donghae weakly clung onto Hyukjae when he felt his brother get to his feet, hissing a bit at the movement. He nodded when the older asked him if he was alright, desperately trying to hide the fact that his injuries hurt more than he believed. If there was anything he wanted to avoid, it was to prevent Kyuhyun from crying. But he couldn’t focus anymore as darkness finally crept into his vision.

\---               

                _The feeling of a cold breeze eventually woke Donghae up, causing him to gasp and sit up. As he peered around, he paled upon recognizing where he was. The feeling of solid ice beneath his palm caused dread to slowly form in the pit of his stomach; he breathed heavily as he desperately looked around. Everywhere he looked, all he could see were ice and snow, structured into pillars and arches._

_It was a sight he so desperately hated to see, reminding him of the times he tried to forget._

_“Oppa.”_

_At the voice, Donghae froze, his body stiffening._

_He slowly got up, fear consuming him. “Tiffany?” he called out. “Tiffany!”_

_“Oppa…Oppa, save me.”_

_“Tiffany!”_

Jolting awake, Donghae nearly groaned at feeling a sharp pain coming from his abdomen. Hissing, he slowly pushed himself up into a sitting position, taking a good look around his surroundings. He blinked upon finding himself in a small room. It was homey enough, but he could feel the magic in the air, and its familiar presence made him remember where he was.

                He jerked when all the memories returned to him, remembering that Kyuhyun was now with them in their world.

                His world.

                At attempting to get out of bed, he felt hands on his shoulder, steadying him.

                “Donghae, you need to calm down.”

                Looking up, Donghae relaxed a little upon seeing Hyukjae, the older man gazing down at him in concern. “Hyuk…where’s Kyuhyun? Where is he?”

                Hyukjae breathed out, a faint smile on his lips as he gestured to the side, prompting Donghae to look over and he could feel something inside flutter upon seeing Kyuhyun sleeping beside him, his head lying on the mattress while a blanket was draped over his shoulders.

                “He’s been sleeping beside you ever since we brought you here,” Hyukjae shared once he was sure Donghae was calm enough. “Sungmin and I tried to get him to eat something, but he refused to leave your side. We reasoned that it was because he was feeling guilty.”

                Nodding, Donghae threaded his fingers into Kyuhyun’s hair, stroking his head a little to keep him asleep. “Where are we?”

                “Yoona’s cabin,” his brother answered, pulling back. “She was the closest person within the vicinity who hadn’t fallen under Yunho’s spell yet.”

                Donghae breathed out. “Yunho doesn’t pay much attention to the outskirts of the Summer Palace. Has anyone contacted the Queen yet?”

                Frowning, Hyukjae shook his head, glancing down at Kyuhyun when he heard the younger man mumble. Eyes gazing back at his brother, he saw Donghae’s eyes fixed on the mortal. “No, but Sungmin has gone ahead. He said he needed to meet up with the Court Advisor about what happened, though.”

                “Why didn’t you go with him?”

                Hyukjae raised an eyebrow. “I needed to watch over you and Kyuhyun. Leaving you two here unprotected would not do well, you know. Kangin’s out to scout the area and the others have gone ahead to hurry back to the Queen’s quarters. I would’ve joined them, but I had to keep an eye on you.”

                “Lovely.” Hissing a bit, Donghae grumbled as he was slightly pushed aside so that Hyukjae can lift his shirt. He peered down, almost grimacing at seeing red blooming from the injury. “Why hasn’t this healed yet?”

                “Poison.”

                Donghae closed his eyes, breathing out. “Poison – of course it’s poison. Yuri doesn’t know how to kill someone otherwise.”

                Opening his eyes, he saw Hyukjae give him a small smile. “Relax, it’ll exit out from your system soon. For now, you just need to rest.”

                With a nod, Donghae watched Hyukjae excuse himself as he left the room. He breathed out slowly before turning to Kyuhyun, lightly stroking his head. His eyes softened at the sight, a warm feeling blooming in his chest. It was a sensation he ever associated with Kyuhyun because he knew that only the younger man had such an effect on him.

                “Donghae?”

                Pausing, Donghae slowly withdrew his hand as Kyuhyun began to stir, the younger man rubbing his eyes as he slowly sat up.

                “Hae?”

                Donghae flashed Kyuhyun a smile when the younger man’s eyes were finally clear, his eyes on his face. “Hey, Kyuhyunnie.”

                “Donghae…” Kyuhyun bit his lip and surprised the older man by moving forward to hug him tightly, earning a soft wince from the older man. “I’m sorry! I’m sorry! If I hadn’t…If I hadn’t pushed you away that one time…if I just let you explain…”

                Wrapping his arms around the younger, Donghae buried his nose into Kyuhyun’s hair, inhaling his scent deeply. “You’ve no reason to apologize, Hyun. It was my fault. I didn’t tell you the truth about everything when I’ve had the chance. I’ve had months to do so, but I never told you.”

                Kyuhyun shook his head, burying his face in the crook of Donghae’s neck. He clutched at the older man, his body trembling. “It doesn’t matter. All that matters is that you’re safe. Please don’t leave my side again.”

                Eyes softening, the older man could only nod, hugging Kyuhyun tighter.

                But deep down, all he could remember was Tiffany’s voice from his dream, calling out to him.

\---

                Sungmin tried his best to ignore the curious gazes he received from the eyes of the forest. He knew the life of the forest was watching him, cautious and curious of his every move. While it wasn’t unusual, it never failed to unnerve him every time he stepped foot into the Forest of Thorns. The trolls and fairies living in the forest never bothered him, given his reputable status and position within the Queen’s court, but he knew it didn’t mean they wouldn’t bother him unless it meant it was beneficial to them in some way.

                If not, then the likelier outcome was them leaving him alone or trying to kill him.

                Either way, he did not want to cross their paths.

                Stopping in his place, Sungmin’s eyes narrowed once he heard the whispers of trolls around him. Eyes flashing a light grey, he released a subtle amount of his magic, hearing the rustling of the trees as the trolls hurried away from him.

                However, he could still detect a faint presence watching him.

                Sungmin frowned, trying to figure out who the presence belonged to. It felt like a troll, but he knew better than to expect it to be a regular one.

                It was one who had made an alliance with someone, and he just hoped that alliance wasn’t with Yunho.

                “Who’s there?” he finally called out, having enough of the silence reigning over him.

                A slight rustle before a young man appeared, his clothes tattered and torn. From Sungmin’s eyes, he was much too young, even younger than Kyuhyun in mortal years. But he sensed magic from him, enough to warrant him to tense up.

                “I am a troll from the Queen’s Court,” the troll hastily said, giving Sungmin a low bow of respect. “I am Kim Jonghyun. The Queen has sent me to keep an eye on the outskirts.”

                Relaxing a little, Sungmin studied him. “Trolls don’t often interact with Royalty,” he noted, seeing the troll stiffen a little.

                The younger being lowered his head. “Much has changed since the Winter War has begun.”

                “Winter War?”

                Jonghyun nodded, peering at Sungmin almost shyly. “There have been the beginnings of a war brewing lately. Yunho has taken over much of country already. The only part that hasn’t been taken over yet is the Queen’s Land. The rest are slowly being invaded by Yunho’s forces.”

                “What has the Queen been doing?” Sungmin demanded, seeing the troll flinch at his harsh tone. Though he felt slightly bad, he couldn’t afford to be kind to anyone.

                Time was running out.

                The troll cowered a bit. “She has been rallying her forces and allies. But there are rumors that the Queen has fallen ill.”

                A chill went down Sungmin’s spine at the mere thought. He knew that without the Queen, they wouldn’t be able to fight against Yunho’s forces any further. The male was a powerhouse on his own – he had the power to change their fates if he saw fit. Only he and the Queen held so much power, but not once did the Queen ever use hers for evil.

                She had only used it once to save her child.

                “Where is the Court Advisor?” Sungmin immediately demanded.

                Jonghyun stood straight. “He is currently at the West Sea. From what the Raven told me, he was sent to discuss a possible alliance with the Sea King.”

                “Oh, lovely,” Sungmin mumbled, his mind already coming up with various scenarios as to how that conversation would go.

                The Sea King had not talked to anyone for years after the death of his youngest daughter. Any interactions with humans were forbidden as they were a cruel reminder of who had taken her away from him. Not once had the Sea King ever came to them or interacted with the Queen’s forces again – he was too heartbroken and angry to deal with them again.

                “Take me to him.”

                Bowing, Jonghyun immediately headed towards the direction of the West Sea, Sungmin following behind him.

\---

                “So _this_ is the World of Fairytales?” Kyuhyun asked, his voice full of disbelief.

                It had only been when Hyukjae returned when he was told about the place they were currently in. It had come as a shock to Kyuhyun as he hadn’t expected anything like this to actually occur; though he supposed he should have seen the signs given Donghae’s powers and the odd events that kept occurring around him.

                “So, if this is the World of Fairytales, why are we here?”

                Beside him, Donghae breathed out, his arm tightening around Kyuhyun’s waist. “Yuri set off an effect that linked the two worlds together. It’s not strange for a portal to appear as it is our way to coming to your world, but it is dangerous for humans to be here for a prolonged amount of time.”

                “That doesn’t mean you’ll be affected, though,” Hyukjae quickly said upon noticing the look masking Kyuhyun’s face. “There are some special humans who are able to survive in our world.”

                Kyuhyun made a face before turning to Donghae, seeing the older man smiling back at him. “Now what? What is going on?’

                “Now, we need to find a way to keep you safe and return you home,” Donghae whispered. “We’d send you back now, but…”

                “There’s a temporal disturbance that’s preventing us from leaving this world,” Hyukjae finished, sharing a look with his brother. “Usually, such disturbances would fade in time, but there have been too many problems going on lately that it’ll start to cause a distortion.”

                Upon seeing the look of confusion on Kyuhyun’s face, Donghae breathed out. “He means that our worlds will become linked and the war here will transfer to there,” he explained.

                Kyuhyun frowned. “But…hasn’t the war already been going on over there? I mean…I’ve been attacked twice now!”

                He watched curiously as Donghae and Hyukjae shared looks with each other. Though he was briefly informed about their relationship, he still couldn’t exactly wrap his mind about it. Not once did he remember Donghae mention anything about his brother – or any family for that matter. Then again, he reasoned: his best friend hadn’t actually talked about himself that much at all.

                It made him feel a little hurt, if he were to be honest.

                However, he kept his mouth shut, knowing there wasn’t anything else he can even do about it. He was in their world now, not his, which meant he had to be careful.

                “You were attacked because of Donghae,” Hyukjae finally said, startling Kyuhyun out of his reverie.

                The mortal blinked slowly. “What do you mean?”

                He felt Donghae’s arm tighten around him even more.

                “He means that the only reason why they attacked you was to get to me,” Donghae revealed, eyes averted from Kyuhyun’s face. “They know my connection to you and thus, targeted you in order to get my attention.”

                Kyuhyun made a face. “But why? Why would they—”

                “Donghae….holds a very strong power,” the oldest in the room said slowly, and Kyuhyun could see him slowly start to grow uncomfortable. “So when those attacks became focused on you, they were just trying to get to me through you, and I apologize for that.”

                Staring up at Donghae’s face, Kyuhyun felt himself frown upon seeing the lines of stress masking his face. He felt his own heart clench at the sight of it, making him feel slightly uncomfortable at the feeling it brought him. Biting his lip, Kyuhyun looked back at Hyukjae, who immediately understood what he wanted to say.

                With a nod, Hyukjae stood up from the chair, glancing at Donghae one last time before slipping out of the room.

                “I don’t blame you,” Kyuhyun whispered, cupping the older man’s cheek and making him look at him. At seeing the look of distraught in his eyes, a small smile graced the younger man’s lips. “Yes, it’s too much for me to take in all at once, but I’m not mad. I just hoped you would’ve taken more time to actually tell me all of this.”

                Donghae stared at him, lips pressed together into a thin line before he surprised Kyuhyun by pressing their foreheads together. The action was a loving one, making the younger male blush faintly.

                “I don’t understand how you can simply accept everything that’s recently happened after what you’ve done last time,” the ice-wielder whispered, barely feeling Kyuhyun swallow hard in reaction. “I have lied to you, I have caused you to become entangled in something you shouldn’t have, and yet you still forgive me?”

                Gently tugging Donghae into an embrace, Kyuhyun closed his eyes. The truth of the matter was that he couldn’t truly forgive Donghae, but he also knew there wasn’t anything he could do about it. Being angry at him, accusing him – there just wouldn’t be any point to it. Kyuhyun knew he could do whatever he wanted if he wanted to blame his old friend, but he just couldn’t bring himself to do it.

                So he smiled, tightening his arms around him.

                “It’s okay,” he whispered. “This just means I have time to understand more about you and this world.”

                Though fear was a factor in their predicament, Kyuhyun wouldn’t push Donghae away again. He couldn’t. Not this time.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the delayed update! This chapter is somewhat rushed, so apologies for that. Anyhow, hope you guys enjoyed the chapter and hope it wasn't too confusing!


	10. Chapter 10

 

                _His lungs were frozen, oxygen scarce, and he could feel himself falling onto the merciless stone floor. His eyes – once a beautiful shade of brown, now an icy blue – were wide, his vision blurry as he was forced to stare up at the crystal chandelier hanging above him, jingling due to the vibrations in the building. His body was frozen, glued to the ground, but he could feel a prickling against his skin as ice slowly crept over his hands and legs. Even his heart – the steady thud, thud, thud – had began to falter, stuttering every so often._

_“You should have listened to me.” It was a female’s voice, so soft and quiet, barely heard under the deafening silence in the room. He felt a gentle hand cradle his face, a thumb caressing his cheek. “You should have joined us at that time. Maybe then, I wouldn’t be asleep right now. Maybe then, we could have ended this so much sooner.”_

_Feeling air returning to his lungs, he inhaled sharply and coughed, his vision slowly returning. Eyes filled with clarity, shock took a hold of his body._

_The woman above him smiled, sliding her hand down to his chest and he gasped, feeling a sharp pain stab through him. “Goodbye, Donghae-oppa.”_

Feeling the wind start to grow unsettled, Donghae pried his eyes open, allowing his eyesight to adjust to the darkness. As soon as it was clear, he gazed around, scanning their surroundings. His shoulders relaxed slightly upon seeing nothing wrong – only Hyukjae and Kyuhyun sleeping on their spread out cloaks Yoona had offered them. Off to the side, he could hear the horses whinny softly, a snort from one before it grew silent again.

                It had been barely a day since they had agreed to go to the Queen’s castle, knowing it was dangerous for them to be out in the forest with Yunho’s minions roaming around. Yoona had been considerate, allowing them to borrow her horses in order to make their journey go quicker. Usually, they would have simply transported to the castle, but the idea was simply put down the drain once Yoona had told them about the magic trackers Yunho had placed, and Donghae’s current condition.

                Though initially discouraged, Donghae and Hyukjae both agreed it was better off. With Kyuhyun in their company, it was best they laid low as much as they could. Kyuhyun was an outsider – he was vulnerable to the dangers lurking in the shadows.

                Breathing out, Donghae ran a hand through his hair, finding some sort of comfort in the action. He leaned back against the trunk of the tree he had been sitting against for the past couple of hours, eyes fixed on the fire slowly dying in the middle. The heat coming from it bothered him, but Hyukjae and Kyuhyun needed it to keep warm. Unlike him, they were unaccustomed to the incoming chilly weather coming from the northern lands due to Yunho’s magic.

                Donghae shook his head as he watched the fire finally die, the embers glowing dim amber. As darkness took hold of their camp, his senses heightened, his eyes growing a faint blue. He could hear the rustling in the foliage from the faeries lurking there, more than likely watching them as they anticipated their move, trying to decide whether they were friend or foe.

                Hearing a soft rustle of cloth, his eyes darted over to where he saw Hyukjae sitting up, the older man grumbling as he tried to make himself more awake. As soon as their eyes met, Donghae gave him a small smile in greeting, followed a short nod.

                “Sense anything yet?” Hyukjae asked in a hushed voice as he slowly crept his way over to where Donghae was sitting.

                Donghae shook his head, placing his palm flat against the soil. “No,” he whispered. “Other than the faeries watching us, there’s nothing.”

                “And Yunho?”

                Closing his eyes, the younger man sighed, feeling his head pound at the slightest mention of his former mentor. As he opened them again, he stared at Kyuhyun’s form. “Not here – not yet,” he replied. “But that doesn’t mean he won’t be here soon.”

                There was a silence before Hyukjae’s eyes flickered over to Kyuhyun, who shifted in his sleep. “He is going to be a nuisance.”

                “He is human,” Donghae argued softly. “It is understandable for him to be slow – in this world, he is the one who must be most protected.”

                “Yet you feel as if you cannot do that.”

                Shaking his head, Donghae said nothing as he stared at the body of his friend. His fingers twitched, aching to hold him in his arms.

                Hyukjae gave him a knowing look. “Remember that doing anything out of bounds will get you in trouble, Donghae.”

                Saying nothing, the younger merely closed his eyes, feeling Hyukjae’s arm wrap around his waist, bringing him close. The warmth made him secure, but it didn’t make him feel the slightest bit relieved. But he made no comment, using Hyukjae’s warmth to lull him to sleep whilst the oldest kept watch over their camp.

                And for now, it was enough.

\---

                Sungmin had to pinch the bridge of his nose, annoyance bubbling within him as he listened to the Court Advisor rant on about how the Sea King was being ‘an inconsiderate git’. While he himself didn’t bear any fond feelings for the Sea King, Sungmin knew better than to insult him in any form imaginable. The last thing he wanted was to offend him in any way, especially since he knew the king had spies everywhere.

                He breathed out, holding his frustration in as he stared at the Court Advisor. “When you’re done babbling, please tell me what the hell has been going on since I’ve been gone.”

                The Court Advisor closed his mouth, finally having the decency to look embarrassed. He cleared his throat, nodding. “Right, well, it began the moment Donghae had gone to the mortal realm,” he began, beginning to appear slightly uncomfortable. “After the rest of you followed, things gradually turned for the worst here.”

                “Explain.”

                “It would appear that the Spire has been tainted, thus the darkness began to spread,” the Court Advisor continued, much to Sungmin’s chagrin. “The Queen herself has grown ill due to the large amount of darkness in the land.”

                A chill went down Sungmin’s spine at the mere idea of their Queen growing ill. He bit his lip, wondering just how powerful Yunho must have gotten in order to control so much of the country. His link with the Queen had yet to reestablish, making him feel frustrated at not knowing what was happening with her.

                Hand shooting out, he grasped the collar of the Court Advisor’s neck, causing him to gasp. “Tell me more.”

                The Court Advisor tried to flail his arms, but stopped after he hit himself in the face. “There have been rumors circulating within the country as of late,” he gasped out, his arms falling to his sides. “Rumors concerning Donghae and the human boy he’s been so infatuated with as of late.”

                Sungmin nearly froze at the mention of Kyuhyun, but hid it quickly.

                Frowning, he released the Court Advisor, his jaw clenching as he thought about his next course of action.

                “We’re heading back to the palace now,” Sungmin ordered, seeing the younger male bow his head in obedience. “And we need to do so quickly. How fast has the Queen’s health been deteriorating?”

                The Court Advisor swallowed thickly.

                “She’s been put to bed rest,” the Court Advisor told him quietly, his shoulders slumping. “Sunny has been aiding her.”

                Sungmin’s eyes flashed. “Then we’re going. Now.”

\---

                Kyuhyun shuddered, making a face as he felt his way through the leaves blocking his way. After abandoning the horses in a nearby town, they had decided to continue the rest of the way on foot. While he had voiced his opinions (or rather, complaints), he simply accepted the fact they had to continue on without the horses.

                The horses would be hard to navigate through the thick forest, the branches and leaves constantly in the way.

                He was thankful when Hyukjae declared it was time for a break, nearly collapsing on the ground whilst the oldest went off to fetch them food. He nearly groaned at his aching feet, his shoulders slumping as he tried to ease the pain. Hearing a chuckle, Kyuhyun looked over at Donghae, who sat down beside him, his cloak billowing behind him.

                “Why are you laughing?” Kyuhyun asked, sounding annoyed.

                Donghae smirked. “Compared to how you were as a kid, you’re a lot less active as you are now.”

                “Not a lot of people are made for walking through a forest,” the younger retorted. “Especially in a terrain like this.”

                The older shook his head and gently rubbed the base of his spine, trying to ease the tension building in his muscles. “We’ll need to build up your stamina, then,” Donghae hummed out. “This is going to be a long trek.”

                Kyuhyun whined a bit, leaning against him, and feeling Donghae’s arm wrap around his waist in return. Breathing out, he closed his eyes, already exhausted from the walk. As he felt a slight nudge from his side, the younger man looked up curiously, eyes widening when Donghae pressed their lips together. The shock of it went down his spine, reaching up to grab the older man’s arms, as if to push him away. However, he was left frozen when the kiss deepened, feeling his body suddenly became light, more energized.

                As they finally broke apart, Kyuhyun was panting softly, gazing into Donghae’s eyes. He blushed deeply, a scowl on his face as he lightly shoved at the older man.

                “What was that for?!” he demanded, sounding scandalized.

                Almost looking amused, Donghae bit back a smile. “You look more energized now.”

                “That’s not—” Kyuhyun adopted an offended look. “You kissed me so that you can transfer me your energy?! Are you an idiot?!”

                Yelping as he was continuously hit, the ice user grabbed his wrists and halted his movements, Donghae finally subdued Kyuhyun, almost chuckling at the cute sight greeting him.

                “Are you really that shocked I kissed you?” he asked, voice teasing.

                Kyuhyun turned even redder. “You don’t just suddenly kiss anyone like that!”

                “But it’s _you_ ,” the older man corrected, smiling slightly at the shy look the younger had adopted. He chuckled once more, pressing a kiss against the tip of his nose. “As long as it’s you, everything’s okay.”

                “You’re such a ridiculous sap.”

                “Only to you,” Donghae sang.

                Giving him a look of disbelief, Kyuhyun only shook his head before allowing himself to get tugged into the older man’s arms. He hugged him back tightly, burying his face against Donghae’s shoulder. Despite the newfound energy he received, he still felt exhausted, marking it down to him just being unused to the world.

                “Rest, Kyu,” he heard Donghae whisper. “I’ll wake you once we start moving again.”

                Kyuhyun didn’t waste any time in giving into Donghae’s words, allowing darkness to lull him to sleep.

\---

                Being in the same room as the woman he had tried to kill left mixed feelings in Yunho’s chest. Though he didn’t regret what he had to do in order to get so far, it was the guilt of having to do such a thing to a wonderful person that left him hurt. Finding her prone body was a difficult task as Donghae had gone to great lengths in keeping her hidden, but he was far from deterred. With Donghae currently in their world, it meant she was left defenseless – or as close to being defenseless as she could be.

                But Yunho knew there was no other choice if he wanted to use her.

                As he pulled the curtain aside, revealing her sleeping form, he almost smiled. It had been many years since he last took a look at her face – the beauty and serenity she held. Putting her to sleep was his only decision, his final choice, so she wouldn’t be able to see the world as it was before he finally had the chance to do what he had to do.

                Yunho knew it was a false hope, though.

                Gently brushing her hair to the side, Yunho stared down at her face, so pale and weak, yet as beautiful as ever. He almost smiled, letting his fingers run down her cheek in a loving gesture. As his fingertips gently glided across her eyelids, they began to glow a faint silver color, and he watched as those colors faded into her skin, leaving no trace of it behind.

                As he pulled his hand back, Yunho smiled.

                “My lord,” a voice greeted from behind.

                “Is everything prepared?” Yunho asked without looking away from Tiffany.

                “Yes, my lord.”

                Smiling, Yunho leaned down and continued to caress Tiffany’s cheek. He leaned closer, gently pressing a kiss against her lips. Once he was sure she received enough energy, Yunho pulled back, watching her slowly begin to stir from her slumber. Satisfied, he pulled back from her, seeing her fingers twitch the closer she grew to becoming conscious.

                “My lord?”

                “Ensure that our trip to home is in order,” Yunho commanded, not needing to look at his subordinate to know the younger agreed. As he felt his subordinate’s presence disappear, his attention refocused on Tiffany. Once her eyes fully opened, he smiled at her warmly, placing his fingertips against her cheek, effectively getting her attention. “You’re finally awake, my little flower.”

                Tiffany blinked slowly at him, her eyes a stunning blue. Her eyebrows furrowed, eyes turning confused as she continued to regard Yunho.

                “Y-Yunho…oppa?” Tiffany said slowly, hesitantly.

                The male smiled, nodding as he finally took his hand away from her face. “It’s me, Tiffany.”

                Slowly sitting up, Tiffany looked around, becoming even more confused about where she was or how she was able to get there. “W-where are we? Where’s Donghae?”

                Holding out his hand, Yunho smiled when Tiffany took it, the questioning look still masking her face as she continued to wonder where her brother could be. Yunho gently kissed the back of her hand, giving her a reassuring smile.

                “Do not worry, my flower. Donghae’s waiting for us – and he’ll be so happy to see you.”

                Tiffany looked up at him, a look of wonderment still in her eyes. “And where is he waiting for us?”

                “Home.”


End file.
